Just Because You Feel It Doesn't Mean It's There
by WhatComesFromWithin
Summary: Nico di Angelo will do anything to prove that he isn't weak. When he is diagnosed with a heart defect, he makes a deal with someone who promises to cover up the symptoms. Nico has managed to shut himself away from everyone and everything around him, but now his world is cracking. There's only one person who can help him, only one person who can be his light: Will Solace.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot.**

Nico pulled his leather jacket tighter around himself, trying to block out the cold and the despairing thoughts that threatened to consume him. He walked through the dark empty streets of New York, fighting the tide of emotions he had worked so hard to numb. If you couldn't feel the pain, then it wasn't there. If you pushed it all behind you, then it would never catch up. So that's what Nico did. He told himself that he didn't care, that nothing mattered. Eventually he had said it enough to convince himself that it was true.

Eventually Nico arrived at his destination. He sighed, hating the place with all the fibers of his being, but knowing that he had to go inside. Where else could he go, anyway? Nico swallowed all the thoughts of hatred, placing a look of indifference on his face. Once again numbing every emotion.

And he stepped forward, walking into his house, a place that would never be his home.

"I'm back," Nico called, listening to his voice echo through the empty mansion. He knew no one heard him, knew that no one cared. He told himself that was the reason he never did, either.

As he was walking through the shadowed hall, he heard someone familiar call his name.

"Nico."

Nico turned around warily. Unfortunately, he was faced with the person he least wanted to talk to right then. Or ever.

"Father."

Hades di Angelo was a strict man. Unfeeling, unforgiving, and rich. _Filthy_ rich. It was probably one of the reasons Nico hated him so much. He had so much, but was never satisfied. Nico told himself that he was _not_ the same way.

"Nico, I need to talk to you." His father's metallic grey eyes were cold, and showed no emotion. Nico was painfully aware that his black ones were the same.

Nico shrugged, nonchalant. "Okay."

As he followed his father down the hall to where he assumed would be his father's office, Nico tried to fight the rising wave of dread in his chest. His father never interacted with him. Never. Why the sudden need to talk to Nico? After seven years of silence, why talk to him now? They both knew that they were counting down the days until Nico moved out for college. Hades was going to pay for his tuition and then they were never going to speak to each other again. Both of them were fine with the arrangement; heck, both of them _loved_ the arrangement. What could be so important? Why did Hades even care about something enough to consult with him about it?

 _But that's the real question, isn't it?_ Nico thought. _What's so important that he cares about_ my _opinion in the matter?_

Whatever it was couldn't be good.

Any further musings Nico could have had were interrupted when Hades spoke.

"I need to talk to you about your future, Nico."

Nico almost burst out laughing. "No, you don't."

He started to walk away but his father grabbed his arm.

"Get inside the office Nico."

Should he? He didn't really care if his father told him he was a failure and not to expect to get into a good college. Nico was actually pretty smart, his father just didn't care unless he was at the top. He also didn't care if his father continuously told him that he was a disappointment. He could even live with his father telling him that he was a mistake, a misfortune, a burden. It wasn't like he hadn't heard any of it before.

Nico's curiosity got the better of him. After all, his father willingly sought him out for the first time in years so that he could talk to him about something. It might be entertaining to find out what it was.

So Nico went into the office and sat down, propped his feet up on a small table, slouched, and glared at his father, waiting for him to speak.

Hades took his time. He straightened a couple things on his desk. Before his sat down, he took a key out of his pocket and went to the door. Nico had no time to protest before the key was in the lock, and put in Hades' pocket. _There goes that escape._

Nico then realized just how bad this conversation was going to be.

Hades sat at his desk and then started his piece. "Nico, I know I haven't been the most involved father-" Nico snorted "-but that doesn't mean I haven't been looking out for your best interests. Listen, Nico, I've discovered something from one of my employees who has a daughter at that school you go to-what is called, Half-Blood High? Such an _odd_ name- but anyway, he was talking on and on about this boy in his daughter's class who rides a motorcycle and whose name was Nico. Well, I'm not stupid and I put two and two together. I told him that you were _my_ son. He seemed shocked, and when I asked him why he said that _this_ Nico di Angelo was the opposite of what he would expect from a child of mine. Naturally I asked him to elaborate. He said that the Nico di Angelo his daughter talked about was solitary and mysterious, hanging out with no one and glaring at anyone who dared look at him. That was when I knew it _was_ you, by the way. I happened to wonder out loud what it was with teenagers these days that didn't make them want to hang out with rich kids. That was when he told me that no one knew you were rich." Hades looked at him pointedly.

This was another thing Nico hated about his father. Hades couldn't stand the fact that no one knew his son was rich. Hades wanted to flaunt his money, and Nico was an easy way to do that through.

Hades continued. "And then my employee told me that no one knew anything about you, even the fact that I am your father. Or that Thalia, Jason, and Percy are your cousins. My question for you is: Why?"

"Jason, Percy, Thalia, and I agreed not to talk to each other at school, or to tell anyone we're cousins. I haven't told anyone about you because I don't want people associating me with the word 'rich.'"

"What's so bad about being rich?"

"I don't want to flaunt how much money my family has, Father! I like the reputation I've built for myself at school."

"You need to tell people who you are."

"Well, I won't. And neither will you because I can deny anything you say as a rumor. Now let me out of this office."

"Nico, this affects your future. How do you expect to get special treatment if no one knows you're my son?"

"For the last time, I don't want anyone to know I'm your son! I am smart, you just don't care because I'm not the smartest. I don't want special treatment; I want to earn what I receive."

"I'm trying to help you get ahead in life. One day people will know that you are my son, Nico. Nothing you do or say can change that fact. You can't go through life denying your roots and isolating yourself from people."

"I never said I isolated myself."

"Yet I _know_ that you do. From the black attire to the moody slouch- everything about you screams 'Don't talk to me unless you want to die a painful death.'"

"Well, I like it that way."

"How can you possibly enjoy living on the edge of existence?"

"People know I exist."

"Only because they're terrified of you."

"Why do you even _care_?"

"Because I'm your father, whether you like it or not."

"I don't like it, and _being my father_ has never made you care before, so what's so different now?"

"...I want to rebuild our relationship."

"What relationship?" Hades winced. Nico didn't care and continued. His father was _not_ getting off the hook just because he winced at something he said. No, too many years of suffering because of him had passed for Nico to come running back. Especially after what his father had said to him after Bianca had died, what he had _repeated_ saying. Hades had said- his _father_ had said-

Nico glared at his father, gazing at him with cold hatred. He nearly spat out the words. "Any _relationship_ we might have had drowned when you told me I should have been the one to die."

 **A/N: This chapter was short; the next ones will be longer. I understand that there are a few questions you might have regarding Hades' reasoning, but that will be explained in future chapters. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot.**

Nico stormed out of the office, grabbing the key away from the shocked figure of his father, never once looking back over his shoulder. He had no reason to be sorry. Nico had been nothing but honest during that 'conversation.' Every last word had been the cruel, brutal truth. Nico stomped through the hall, up two flights of stairs, and finally entered his room, slamming the door as hard as he could.

Nico went over to bed and collapsed onto it. His eyes happened to fall on the calendar and he groaned inwardly. Tomorrow was Monday, which meant another week of school. He rolled over onto his side and fell asleep, glad that there were no assignments due the next day.

Nico pulled up to the school on his motorcycle. Getting off, he pulled one strap of his black backpack over his shoulder and made his way to the front entrance of Half-Blood High.

Nothing exciting happened. At all. It was all so monotonous it really was a miracle Nico didn't fall asleep during class. He would probably get away with it too, as he always sat in the back of the class.

He had one run in with Thalia in the hallway. He glared at her, daring her to address him. She stared at him, then continued walking down the hallway, laughing with her little group of friends. Well, maybe not so little. Thalia Grace was popular, but whether it was because of her personality or her father's money, Nico wasn't sure. It was one of the reasons Nico was glad he didn't have any friends, and why he was glad no one knew who his father was. You never knew who was actually your friend, and who just wanted to end up in your will when you died. 'Friends' were so overrated. Nico was glad that he was a loner.

He sat alone at lunch. Sure, sometimes he got a little lonesome, but it was a lot better than sitting on one of those seats, surrounded by people talking obnoxiously loud. He shuddered. He honestly didn't know how anyone could stand that.

Overall his day was pretty average, until he exited the building to go home.

People were crowded around a limousine parked up front. Nico didn't understand why these idiots still crowded around limousines when Percy, Jason, or Thalia arrived or left school. Yeah, they were rich and liked to show it by riding in limousines. Get over it.

Nico was walking toward where he had parked his motorcycle. He froze. _His motorcycle was gone_.

He stared uncomprehendingly at the place where his motorcycle had been only this morning. He knew no one from this school would _dare_ steal _his_ motorcycle. Then he heard laughing. Nico got a sense dread in his stomach as he turned around.

Thalia was standing by the limo, openly laughing. Jason was smirking next to her, and he said to the crowd, "It's not for us."

Percy was standing with his friends from the swim team, and when everyone looked at him expectantly, he announced, "It's not for me, either."

Simultaneously, they all looked at Nico. He glared at them, his fists clenched. Slowly, the crowd followed their gazes and stared at Nico. They were unsure and confused, their eyes full of disbelief. Nico, warily, looked at the limo. He hesitantly walked through the crowd and met the gaze of the driver, who was standing outside the limo, looking bored.

Just then Percy broke the silence. And the rule Nico and his cousins followed very closely. "Hey, Nico, I didn't know you booked a different ride for today."

Thalia and Jason were holding in more laughter. Nico glared at each of his cousins in turn. "Shut. Up. Jackson."

Thalia was nearly crying from trying to hold in her laughter. Jason was shaking quietly.

Just then the driver got out. Of course. Because Nico's luck was great that way.

"Mr. di Angelo, your father sent me."

People were snickering. Nico heard someone say _Mr. di Angelo_? He sent a glare in their general direction. Bracing himself, Nico turned to face the driver.

"What did you do with my motorcycle, Jules-Albert?"

He tried really hard to ignore the laughter and disbelieving chattering that followed his statement. All of his cousins were laughing audibly now.

Jules-Albert shrugged, dismissing the matter. "Your father sent someone earlier to drive it back to the manor. It's in the garage there, among your other vehicles."

Nico wanted to strangle the guy for implying even further that his father had a lot more money than Nico let on. He heard people whispering.

Suddenly Nico felt an arm loop itself around his shoulders. He yelped, jumping out of the embrace. Percy was standing there. He _knew_ that Nico hated physical contact.

"Sorry," Percy said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "Hey, Nico? I was wondering why you're so opposed to riding in the limo."

"I don't like it."

Percy's mouth twitched at his curt reply. "It's not going to bite."

"Shut up. I don't like being driven places."

Percy knew the meaning behind those last six words. If he didn't, well, he _should_.

Nico couldn't believe this was happening. He turned to Jules-Albert. "I'm walking home."

He made to walk away, but Jules-Albert blocked him.

"Oh, no. Your father _specifically_ told me to make you ride home in that limousine. And I will not disappoint your father. I will call the security chief at the manor and tell him to send a couple men over here if I have to."

Sadly Nico knew that Jules-Albert wasn't lying.

Too bad Nico didn't listen to reasoning.

"I will not willingly get into that limousine to save my life."

Jules-Albert grabbed his upper arm and whipped out his phone. He speed dialed someone.

"Send some guys over, Tony."

Nico didn't have time to comprehend that that was _really_ happening, in _front of the whole school_ , before two members of security showed up.

Nico broke away from Jules-Albert just to be seized by these guards, each grabbing one of his arms. They were really strong, and Nico knew there was no use in struggling. So he tried bargaining.

"If you let go of me I'll make sure Father raises your paychecks. By a lot."

Nico knew there was a very slim chance of this working. Both guards had worked for Hades di Angelo for a long time. They were tall, dark skinned and dark haired, and both were known for their ability to deal effectively with Nico.

"Nico, you tried this last time, remember?" The guard to his left sighed. His name was Bryan, and he was used to Nico's...reluctant behavior.

Nico remembered the last time this had happened. Last year, his father tried to pick him up from a concert Thalia had dragged him, Percy, and Jason to. He had agreed to go only if he didn't have to ride in a limo with them (Nico really had a thing against limos). So Percy drove them in a van. His father sent one to pick him up after Percy drove some kid to the hospital after an asthma attack (don't ask him how you got an asthma attack at a concert. Maybe it was the excitement of seeing your favorite band in person and the close proximity to people. Nico didn't want to know). Nico had struggles in the limo then too. Thankfully there were hardly any people there then due to the fact that people were _obsessed_ with getting autographs.

"You know that doesn't work on us, kid. That's why Tony sent _us_." The guard on his right, Jesse, continued.

Nico complained, "C'mon, Bryan, Jesse, cut me some slack."

He hoped that maybe they'd play the sympathy card. If anyone in that manor vaguely understood him, it was Bryan and Jesse. Not that he wanted their sympathy, in fact he despised it, but he _did not_ want to get into that limousine.

"Your dad'll grill us, kid. Nearly as much as he's gonna grill you." Bryan looked at him pointedly. Jules-Albert was opening the door to the backseat of the limo.

So his father was going to lecture him about something.

Percy, having some kind of pity for Nico, called out, "Is it really necessary to force him into the car?"

"Well, he's not getting in any other way." Bryan called over his shoulder.

Percy seemed to accept this and stayed quiet.

Nico struggled as they shoved him inside. Before he could open the door, Jules-Albert locked it.

"Bye, Nico!" Thalia called after him, the limo driving away from the school.

Nico sent one final death glare at the student body, then slumped in his seat, humiliated.

Why.

Then he remembered the conversation he had had with his father the previous night.

 _One day people will know that you are my son, Nico._

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please, feel free to leave comments and questions.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot.**

Nico was heading back to school, _on his motorcycle_. The previous day had gone pretty uneventful after all the... _effort_ it took to get Nico into that limo. He was just waiting for all the taunts and shocked remarks that were going to await him at school. His father had simply told him to expect a limousine to come and pick him up after school occasionally. Nico gritted his teeth. Because of his father, he was feeling lightheaded, kinda dizzy, and his chest felt tight.

Nico pulled up to school and walked inside, his hands in his pockets, a scowl present on his face.

Jason was talking to his friends on the football team, cheerleaders surrounding him. Nico didn't understand how Jason could stand people being in such close proximity to so many other people. He could understand wanting to be close to your girlfriend or boyfriend, but to be in the center of a bunch of people? No, thank you.

Jason walked up to him, attracting the attention of everyone in that suffocating circle. Nico stopped walking and glared at him as he walked up.

"What do you want, Grace?"

"I just wanted to know how...it all went down yesterday." Jason knew Hades. He knew how stubborn he was and how harsh he could be. This was Jason's nonchalant way of saying _Are you okay?_

Nico hated people giving him pitying looks. Which was exactly what Jason was doing.

"You saw how everything 'went down' yesterday, Jason. Draw your own conclusion." _What do you_ think _happened? Get lost._

"Yeesh, Nico, I was just asking a question. No need to get so defensive."

"Leave me alone. Why do you care what happens to me? You saw what happened yesterday; you don't need to know anything else."

"I'm sorry I asked."

"I'm sorry you asked, too," Jason walked away from him. His friends were giving him strange looks, but he seemed too irritated by Nico's brusque comments.

Nico continued to his locker, not sparing Jason even a glance in apology.

"Hey, Nico!"

Groaning, Nico turned around at the sound of Thalia's voice.

"What do you want, Grace?"

Thalia came up, followed by all the other people in her posse. "How was your ride yesterday?"

Nico rolled his eyes and turned around to continue walking, ignoring her.

"Nico! Don't just ignore me. You never _used_ to ignore me."

Was she aware she was making it sound like he had pined after her? Because he most certainly had _not_.

"It was just about as enjoyable as listening to your narcissistic comments."

"What narcissistic comments? I'm not being egotistical. I'm just simply saying that you used to pay me more heed than you do now."

"You know why that is, Thalia."

"But it doesn't have to be this way."

Nico looked at her, confused. He knew she knew that she was making it look like he had had romantic interests for her. But he sensed some kind of sincerity behind the words in her last sentence, as if she meant them. But that confused him because they had agreed not to talk to each other at school, not to acknowledge that they were all cousins; they decided that they were too different and didn't want to feel obligated to interact with each other. Of course, Nico didn't really interact with anyone anyway, but he knew that his cousins would force him to socialize. By pretending that they had no relation to each other, the cousins weren't responsible for taking care of each other.

All four of them had agreed on it. So what was Thalia trying to say?

Throughout his internal struggle, he never let any emotion cross his face.

"Life is what it is, Thalia." was all he said before walking away.

He had almost made it to his locker when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped away from the contact, whipping around to glare at the offender.

He should have known it would be Percy Jackson.

He wondered vaguely how Percy had managed to escape the entourage of girls who seemed to follow him everywhere. With his sea green eyes and windswept black hair, he tended to attract girls like a magnet. But he was alone right then.

"Nico, listen," Percy whispered, ignoring Nico's reaction to being touched. "I'm sorry that everyone knows who your dad is now. But is it really so bad? So you're rich. Yeah, I get that that brings a lot of attention. Heck, I get that attention. But people don't always have ulterior motives, Nico. There are people who actually care."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you this because I know that you're afraid of people trying to befriend you now that they know you're dad is wealthy. What I'm trying to say is, it's alright if people try to be your friend. They're not going to try to force their way past your defenses just so they can hear you say that they'll be in your will so they can kill you and get your money. Get what I'm saying?"

Nico didn't understand why Percy was telling him this. Didn't Percy understand that that was all people ever wanted? Nico had seen how money corrupts people. All he had to do was look at his father. His father just kept on wanting more and more money. He was never satisfied. People only ever wanted to interact with Nico once they knew who his father was. The same was happening now. Even if they didn't realize it, Percy, Jason, and Thalia were only just now talking to him at school, after everyone knew that he came from a wealthy family.

"I get that you don't know people like I know people. You don't understand human nature."

Percy was getting annoyed. Nico could tell. But he didn't back off the subject.

"People do this thing called betrayal, Percy. Maybe you should look it up."

"Listen, Nico," Percy's voice was rising by the second, and people were starting to look at the pair of them. "I get that you've had it rough, but who hasn't? So you've had difficulties in the past. That doesn't mean no one cares about you and no one should."

Nico yelled right back at him. "Alright, Jackson, _you_ need to listen. You've never been betrayed by anyone in your life; I have. You've lived a life blissfully unaware of all the hateful things in the world; I haven't. So if I don't trust anyone, cut me some slack."

Percy was persistent. "But you need to trust _someone_ , Nico!"

"And who do you suggest I trust?"

"Your dad, for starters."

Nico stared at him for a full second before laughing, but it was without any humor. "He's the last person I'd ever trust."

* * *

Nico entered the cafeteria. He was still light headed, and he was starting to feel dizzy. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and his breathing was a little labored. His father and his cousins were starting to affect his health.

He told himself he was just nervous about what people were going to say. He didn't want any more confrontations with his cousins. He sat at his usual table, which was gloriously empty. He didn't think he'd be able to handle any people right then.

He ate lunch, but he felt no better. In fact, his breathing was still hitched, and he was experiencing more chest pain. Lunch wasn't over, but he decided to leave anyway. His head was starting to pound from all the noise.

He got up and threw away the rest of his lunch. Nico started walking toward the doors to the cafeteria when he clutched his chest, gritting his teeth against the pain.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw people looking at him, curious and vaguely concerned looks on their faces. Nico tried to take another step when the floor rushed up to meet him.

His head was reeling and Nico struggled to make out what was going on around him. He heard people shouting his name, but it sounded like he was listening to them talk through a phone, and they were holding the receiver too far away from their mouth for him to make out what they were saying, despite how hard he tried to.

Nico could feel the pounding of feet against the ground, and it only made his headache intensify. He wanted to yell at them to stop, but he could hardly breathe, let alone gather enough breath to shout. Faces of people were swimming in front of him. He saw Jason's blonde hair and electric blue eyes, Percy's sea green eyes and black hair, Thalia's black hair and electric blue eyes, Drew Tanaka's curly dark hair and her (amused?) brown eyes. He saw the concerned expression of one of his teachers. Nico saw some of Thalia's friends exchange pitying looks. Luke Castellan's icy blue eyes evaluated Nico. Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard's dark eyes glinted with mild concern. Nico hated it. He felt weak and helpless, something he had worked so hard to never feel again. He thought that by pushing himself away and isolating himself, he would never fall prey to weakness again. The eyes of so many people kept flickering through Nico's line of sight. Connor and Travis Stoll, Piper McLean, Frank Zhang, Clarisse LaRue, Chris Rodriguez. He even thought he saw Hazel for a second, but that didn't make sense; she was in a boarding school across the country. He might not know Hazel that well, but he knew that much. Out of all the eyes he saw, one pair caught his gaze. They were the bluest eyes Nico had ever seen. They seemed unassuming; they didn't jump out at you. Nico didn't know the owner of those eyes.

He was being dragged away from all the gazes. The blue eyes, their owner was...lifting him up, _carrying_ him. He didn't have time to feel panicked, however, because his chest tightened, and barely breathing, he blacked out.

* * *

When Nico awoke, he was lying on a bed. He groaned and made to sit up, but a warm hand gently but firmly pushed him back down.

Nico looked up, startled, to see the blue eyes looking right into his obsidian ones.

"You need to rest." The owner of the blue eyes and the voice had curly blonde hair and tan skin. Freckles were sprinkled across the boy's face, and there were a _lot_ of them.

"W-who are you?" Nico croaked out, wincing at the sound of his own voice.

Wordlessly, the boy handed him a glass of water. Nico gulped it down. "My name is Will Solace. I called the ambulance and rode with you to the hospital. You collapsed in the cafeteria. It looked to me like you were having some kind of chest pain. Am I right?" Nico nodded. Will continued.

"People were crowding around you. It took me a while to push past them all. Thalia Grace was kneeling beside you. She kept shaking you. I think it was out of shock. She got mad when I wrenched her away. Jason Grace kept staring at you uncomprehendingly. Percy Jackson looked terrified. You would have thought he had stabbed you or something."

"Who was laughing? I think I heard people laughing." Nico was remembering some more details as Will talked.

Will winced, as though he wished Nico hadn't heard that laughter. "I wasn't going to mention it. They were jerks. Mr. Blofis nearly burst an artery yelling at them. My friend texted me and told me they got detention for the rest of the week."

"Yeah, great, but who _were_ they?"

Will sighed, then listed off the names. "Luke Castellan, his crew, and some of the jocks. Honestly, though," Will added hurriedly, as though he thought Nico was going to get angry. "No one thinks you're weak or anything."

"Really?" said Nico. "Because I'm pretty sure Castellan is spreading around rumors right now that Nico di Angelo just fainted in the cafeteria."

Will didn't answer right away.

"You don't have to lie, Will. I'm not an idiot."

"Luke _is_ saying that, but-"

"What's Tanaka saying?" Nico interrupted.

For some reason, Will suddenly looked really uncomfortable. "Um, she's...well, she- she's saying that, um…"

"Just spit it out, Solace!"

Will rushed to get out his next words. "She's been going on about how- and these are her words, by the way, not mine- she's going on about how someone injured her bad boy enough to land him in the hospital. She's been telling people that her poor Nico got into a street fight defending her and a guy stabbed you and the blood loss is what made you pass out yesterday." Will looked at Nico apprehensively.

Nico probably looked like he was going to murder someone. Which he kinda felt like doing. "She. Said. What?!"

Will looked apologetic. "She's basically going on about how you almost died fighting for her. A lot of the girls at school are swooning." Will brightened suddenly. "But you can pop her bubble by telling them all you're just an arrhythmia."

"W-what?"

"It means your heart beats irregularly. Your heart might start beating faster than is healthy and it can skip beats. It's really very common. You can be at risk for fainting episodes sometimes. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, lightheadedness, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Were you experiencing any of that?"

"Yeah,"

"Which ones?"

"Uh- chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and dizziness."

"Alright. You just gotta be careful for now. If you experience any of this stuff again, alert the nurse if you're at school, or get yourself to the hospital. You're at risk to faint again, so if your heart starts pounding, try to calm yourself down."

Nico stared at Will. "How do you know all this stuff? You can't be older than, like, seventeen."

Will looked kind of sheepish. "I want to be a cardiologist. My dad's a doctor, but he specializes in neurology."

Nico was…impressed. "That's ambitious."

Will grinned. "Hey, go big or go home, right? Oh, I almost forgot." Will's demeanor turned serious. "Who do you need me to call?"

Nico stared at him. "What?"

"You're in the hospital because of a heart defect. Who in your family do I need to call to let them know you're here?"

Reality hit Nico. He was _in the hospital_. He had _fainted at school_. He had a _problem with his heart_. In a way, Nico thought it was ironic. He always removed himself from people and felt next to nothing for people. Now science was telling him that not only was his heart messed up metaphorically, but also physically.

"You don't need to call anyone."

"It's really no trouble, in fact, I _want_ to call someone-"

Nico interrupted. "No, I mean _don't_ call anyone."

"But you're in the hospital. Wouldn't your parents or siblings want to know?"

"Just send my dad the hospital bill."

"That's not how it works."

"Well, that's how it's going to work this time."

"You're not leaving that bed until an adult related to you comes to help you."

Nico thought over his options. He sure as heck wasn't going to call his dad, and he knew that Persephone wasn't going to appreciate him calling her. That left only one person.

"Fine." Nico gave Will a number, not telling him who it belonged to.

Will called the number. "Hi, I'm Will Solace, and I understand that you're related to Nico di Angelo?" A pause. "I'm one of his classmates. He gave me your number so I could let you know that he's in the hospital." A longer pause. "Yeah, that's the right hospital. I'll meet you at the front doors."

Will hung up. "Who was that, by the way? She sounded really concerned, and also _really young_. Like, a teenager."

"She's an adult." Nico defended.

"Yeah, Thalia Grace really classifies as an adult. Especially when maturity comes into the equation."

"Hey, you said I wasn't leaving this bed until an adult related to me comes here. She's eighteen."

"So you're related to Thalia Grace? And therefore Jason Grace?"

Nico realized his mistake. He mumbled, "Yeah. They're my cousins." He glared at Will. "No one else is to know that. If word of this leaks out, I'll blame you."

Will just shrugged. "I don't see why it's so important to you that no one knows they're your cousins, but okay. I'd better go and wait for her at the front doors."

"You know your way around this place?"

"My dad works here."

 _Oh._

"I might even be able to convince the receptionist to let Thalia back to see you. It might be hard to vouch for her, what with her whole _I'll punch you_ get up, but I'll try." And with that Will left.

Fifteen minutes later Thalia burst through the door, closely followed by Percy and Jason. Will entered before any of the cousins could say anything.

"So I'm guessing Percy is your cousin too?"

Nico nodded.

"Figures. I won't spill. I'll be outside if you guys need anything."

Jason ran up to Nico and started examining him, feeling his forehead and massaging his chest. _Way_ too much physical contact for Nico.

"Nico, are you okay? You were just walking through the cafeteria, and then you collapsed, and then the _ambulance_ , and-"

"Jason, _get off me_."

Jason took his hands off Nico. "Sorry, buddy, just trying to make your chest feel looser. I heard about the heart thing and figured-"

"Yeah, yeah. It's just a heart defect, Grace."

" _Just a heart defect_! Nico, you _collapsed_. We were afraid you were gonna _die_!"

"Well," Percy interjected. "Jason thought you were gonna die. Thalia and I had more faith in you."

"Yeah," Thalia agreed. "We figured you would send a glare Death's way and he would slink back to wherever he came from."

"It's not a joking matter guys. Nico has arrhythmia. I looked it up on the way here." Jason informed Nico. "The doctor pulled us aside on our way up here."

Thalia laughed suddenly. "Have you guys heard about Drew?"

Nico groaned and covered his face with his hands. Jason looked confused and Percy looked at Thalia like she was crazy. Which she totally was.

"No," said Jason slowly.

Thalia laughed at Nico's pain. "She's telling everyone that Nico fainted because of blood loss. She's telling the whole school that a guy in some gang stabbed him when he defended her. She said they had been trying to mug her but Nico _came to her rescue_. Mascara was running down her face as she said it too. Lacy is positively certain that you're a misunderstood bad boy Nico. Almost every girl in the whole school is trying in vain to find some way of relating to you. I have to hand it to you, Nico. You've made it really hard on them. Pretty much all they know is who your father is and that you like black."

Percy was on the floor laughing. Even Jason was smirking at him.

"Maybe you'll get yourself a girlfriend by the time you go back to school," Percy choked out.

"I most certainly _will not_. Besides, none of you can talk to me about getting a girlfriend. None of you guys have one."

That sobered Percy and Jason. Thalia laughed at her cousins.

She said, "Good comeback, Nico. See, I could have played that card," she added to Percy and Jason, "because I've sworn off relationships like that. I think they're stupid. But you guys haven't, so you've really got no leverage over Nico on the subject."

"C'mon, Nico," Percy said grumpily. "Let's go and get the doctor to check you out of this place."

 **A/N: This is not how a real hospital would operate. This was written as it is to simplify things, both for your sakes' and mine. Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot.**

 **Warning: There are brief mentions of a car accident, and a character agrees to a one-sided relationship with somebody.**

Percy dropped Nico off at school the following Wednesday. Hades had paid the hospital bill, but he had forbidden Nico to drive the motorcycle. Percy, knowing how much Nico hated the limousine, offered to drive him in his car. It was a nice car, but it wasn't an _overly_ nice car. So Nico begrudgingly accepted.

He walked into school and was immediately surrounded by people. Lots of them. Nico felt panic rise in his chest. He felt his heart start to beat faster and desperately tried to calm himself down, remembering what Will had said.

"Hey! Let the guy breathe!"

The crowd parted slightly and then Will's blonde head appeared. He shoved past everyone to Nico. Will grabbed Nico's wrist and pulled him through the crowd of students.

"Which way to your locker, Nico?" Will asked.

Nico directed him. Will managed to get Nico through the hallway. Nico sighed in relief.

"Hey, are you okay?" Will asked, genuine concern in his gaze.

"Yeah," Nico said, then added, "Thanks."

Will flashed a blindingly perfect smile at him. "No problem."

Will left Nico to go get ready for his own class.

Nico had just finished shoving all his books into his backpack when he felt a slight pressure on his upper left arm. He spun around, scowling, to see who the unexpected (not to mention unwanted) touch had come from.

"Nico, I was so worried!"

It was...Drew?

"Oh, hon, I was afraid you were going to die! Next time you really need to let me drive you to the hospital, no more acting like a gallant knight!" She leaned over to Nico, and hissed, "Come with me and _do not_ say anything." Then, addressing everyone in the hallway, she said, "Make way! I'm going to bring him to the nurse's office to make sure he's actually _allowed_ to be at school today. It wouldn't surprise me if he snuck out of the hospital!" And she dragged him through the school.

They came to an empty hallway and she shoved him into a closet. She entered after him and quietly shut the door behind her. She switched on her phone flashlight. "Now, Nico, hon, listen up. I don't know why you fainted yesterday and I don't really care. What I do care about is that you fainted. You passed out in front of the whole student body, and I came up with a story that makes you seem strong and brave. A lot better than letting people think that you fainted because of some weakness now, am I right?"

Nico had to admit she was right. He hated Drew, but she managed to supply him with a solution to his problem. _Weakness_. It was Nico's least favorite word.

He asked her, "Why did you tell people that?"

She smirked at him, eyes wandering over his body. "I know an opportunity when I see one. See, Nico, you're hot. I'm gonna tell it to you plain. You try to hide it, but that Italian accent is _gorgeous_. The dark, haunted black eyes? _So_ intriguing. The disheveled black hair? Makes a tiger purr. The _I don't care_ attitude? The defined jaw? The sharp nose? The leather jackets and the motorcycle? The moody demeanor? You're just _begging_ for a girl's love. And this girl? She's prepared to give it to you. But I'm not stupid. I know you'd say no if I asked you out. But I also know that you hate someone seeing you in a weak state more than anything in the world. So I made a rumor that made you seem strong. Heck, I basically handed you popularity. But I can also take it all away. I can tell them that you really did just faint in the cafeteria. I can make you seem like the weakest 'lone wolf' to ever exist. So I'm giving you a choice: Be my boyfriend and keep your reputation as the tough guy, or refuse and be seen as weak in the eyes of everyone in the entire school."

Nico stared at her, no, he gave her his death glare. She didn't back down. Nico couldn't believe _Drew Tanaka_ had trapped him. A shallow girl who screamed each time she chipped a nail had found out his weakness and had trapped him in it. But he didn't really have a choice. He swore to himself and to everyone he had cared about that he would never be weak again.

Drew's honey eyes regarded him coolly, and a smirk played at her red lips, because she already knew what he was going to say.

Nico swallowed and braced himself for the rest of his high school career, which would probably be the worst years of his life. "Okay."

She smiled, triumphant, and said, "Just let me do all the talking if someone asks a question about the...episode."

Drew leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Let's go announce your new status, Neeks."

* * *

If asked, Nico would say the worst part of being Drew's boyfriend was all the affectionate little touches and nicknames.

Drew had announced him as her boyfriend to some of her friends, and they had spread it to the whole school. Nico was standing at his locker, miserable, when Will Solace walked up to him.

"So, I heard that you got stabbed saving a damsel in distress. And then you became her boyfriend. Whatever happened to arrhythmia?"

Nico panicked. "Will, you didn't tell anyone about that, did you?"

"No. Patient confidentiality."

Nico almost laughed. It figured Will would abide by that. "Listen, I decided I liked Drew's story. I like her. She asked me to be her boyfriend, and I agreed."

Will looked skeptical. "You like _Drew_?"

Nico swallowed the bile that rose up in his throat at the thought. "Yeah, what's not to like? The silky dark curls, the honey eyes...she's really pretty. And fierce. I like that in girls." _Lies._

"You like...Drew."

Nico didn't blame Will for seeming so repulsed. Drew was really repulsing. "Yeah, a _lot_. And I'm not gonna stand here listening to you talk like my-" Nico had to physically force out the words, "-girlfriend is unworthy of my liking." And Nico slammed his locker, stomping away.

He made it all the way down the hall before two pairs of hands grabbed him and spun him around. Thalia and Jason were looking at him in disbelief, and Percy was standing behind him, wearing a similar expression.

"Nico," began Jason slowly.

"What. Is. Drew. Talking. About?!" demanded Thalia.

Nico decided to risk playing innocent. "What are _you_ guys talking about?"

His cousins weren't having any of it. "Oh, you know what we're talking about, di Angelo." Thalia glared at him, and while it wasn't a glare that began to compare to Nico's, it was a force to be reckoned with.

Percy decided to help out. "Nico, I know you probably aren't aware of what Drew has been saying, considering it is your first day back and all, but you see... Drew is saying-"

Jason interrupted. "She's saying you guys are dating."

"We are."

His cousins stared at him.

"No, you're not." Percy said, looking dumbfounded.

"Did you not hear me, Jackson? I said we are."

Jason looked at Nico like he was mentally ill. "Nico, are you okay?"

Wrong thing to say. Nico could never say _Oh, no. I'm not okay at all. Please help me!_ No, he could never tell anyone that there was something wrong with him, that he had any kind of weakness. It went against every fiber of his being to have to lean on someone. It was part of the reason he hated his arrhythmia so much. Speaking of which…

"Listen." Nico told his cousins, lowering his voice. "You can't tell anyone that I have arrhythmia. If you do, I will hunt you down and make you wish you were never born. We're going with what Drew said: I got stabbed. Understand?"

Jason looked really confused. "But you didn't."

"But no one needs to know that."

"Nico," began Percy. "What does it matter that people know you have arrhythmia?"

"What does it matter that people _don't_ know?" Nico shot back.

Thalia interjected. "Okay, I can live with the fact that Nico doesn't want people to know that he has arrhythmia. What I _can't_ live with is the fact that he's dating Drew Tanaka. I mean honestly, Nico, I thought you had more sense than that! I thought you had more taste! I thought you had more _self_ _respect_!"

 _I do,_ thought Nico.

"What's wrong with dating Drew?" He asked instead.

" _What's wrong_?" Percy was looking at him like he feared for Nico's health. "Drew is a self absorbed brat. She advances on every guy who grabs her attention-"

 _I know all about that,_ Nico thought bitterly.

"-and she flirts shamelessly. It's honestly a little scary."

Jason added, "She pushes herself up against you."

Percy nodded and said, "She pretends to trip and tries to land in your arms."

They kept on going back and forth.

"She wears _way_ too much makeup."

"Her high heels are so _loud_."

"Her laugh is really obnoxious."

"She always does that fake-cry thing."

"She screams if she breaks a nail."

" _And_ she bullies Annabeth."

"Yeah, and-" Jason stopped, realising what Percy had said. Thalia looked like she had spotted her next prey. Nico was glad to move the subject away from him.

Percy had a slight red tint to his cheeks as he said, "Nico, why are you dating a shallow brat like Drew? Take it from me and Jason- whom she has flirted with on multiple occasions- she's annoying, controlling, and clingy. And if there's one thing we all know about you, Nico, it's that you _hate_ all forms of physical contact with a passion."

Thalia looked like she agreed with Percy but was reluctant to let the Annabeth topic slip.

Nico spoke before she could. "I'm dating Drew and there's nothing you guys can do about it. If anyone at school asks me about or I hear there's a rumor about me having arrhythmia, then I will assume it's one of you. Percy, I'll make sure the whole school knows about your crush on Annabeth. Jason, I'll make sure everyone knows about you and Piper." Thalia's eyes snapped to Jason hungrily. "And Thalia. Everyone at school will know that the 'fearless' Thalia Grace is terrified of heights. Do I make myself clear."

"Crystal," Percy replied immediately.

"Perfectly," Jason agreed.

Nico glared at Thalia. "Fine," she muttered reluctantly.

Nico nodded. "Good,"

* * *

Nico was miserable. People had been looking at him strangely all day long. He preferred it when he was the moody loner everybody was afraid of. He didn't like being the topic of everyone's conversations. He had liked how it was before, when he just slipped in and out of view, like a ghost.

He entered the cafeteria and headed toward his usual table, which was gloriously empty, as always. He held only an apple; he never had much of an appetite and found that an apple was almost always enough to hold him for the entire day. He was about halfway to his table when he felt someone's arms loop around his neck and a warm, sticky pressure up against his cheek.

He whirled around, eyes wide. Drew was momentarily thrown off-balance, but she managed to regain her footing. Unfortunately.

" _Get off of me_ ," he hissed.

She just smiled at him and giggled. She didn't seem fazed at all, and it made him feel like he was somehow growing softer. It annoyed him to no end.

"Neeks," she said.

"Don't call me that," he said immediately.

She rolled her eyes slightly, as if to say, _you're gonna have to deal with it if you don't want everyone to know you're a fainting mess._

"You sit with us now," she informed him.

She grabbed his arm and started to pull him toward the popular table, amidst his protests. "My boyfriend is _not_ sitting alone at a table like a social outcast."

 _But that's what I am,_ he thought.

Nico's skin was crawling. Already today he had suffered through more physical contact than he had had in years. And she had _kissed his cheek_. Her referring to him as her boyfriend made him feel nauseous.

They reached the table, Nico stumbling behind Drew. She shoved some poor girl wearing _way_ too much lipstick out of her seat. Then she shoved Nico into it. If he hadn't been caught so off guard he wouldn't have let her push him _anywhere_ , but he was still reeling from contact, so she was able to shove him among even _more_ people.

Nico was starting to feel suffocated. Everyone sat fairly close together, given the amount of people trying to fit at the table, and Drew was practically sitting on top of him. He tried desperately to casually push her off, but she just moved even closer and dug her nails into his palm.

Everyone at the table was staring at him. A couple girls were looking at him in a way that made him uneasy. A couple guys looked like they were jealous of him, like they wanted to be in his place. _I want you guys to be in my place, too,_ he thought.

Drew cleared her throat and everyone's gaze snapped to her. "This is my boyfriend, Nico di Angelo. He'll be sitting here from now on. As you can see, Amanda has volunteered to give up her seat here for Nico, a more worthy member of this table. Any questions?" Everyone hurriedly shook their heads.

Nico felt trapped, and that was another thing he hated. So he did what came naturally to him when faced with situations he was uncomfortable in: he shoved himself away, and ran. Nico started to get up. "Well, bye."

But before he could go anywhere, Drew yanked on his arm to keep him in place. Nico persisted.

"I'll just...be...going," with each word he tried to yank his arm away from Drew, who had a surprisingly strong grip.

"No, you won't," she told him, her smile resembling that of a shark's. She pulled him down and her hand made its way into his hair. _Only Bianca could do that_. Nico snapped.

"Allontanati da me! Se non mi lascerai subito, lo farò-" _Get away from me! If you don't leave me alone I'll-_

He was interrupted by a warm hand on his wrist. He turned around to see Will, and beyond him, the eyes of everyone in the school. Sea green, lightning blue, coffee brown, chocolate brown, ice blue, hazel, golden, grass green-

Nico's heart was pounding. He started to feel lightheaded again. He felt panicked. That just made him panic even more. Nico di Angelo did not panic. Nico di Angelo had no weaknesses.

But he did. He did and he hated himself for it. He was supposed to be strong, untouchable. He was supposed to live up to his reputation of unfeeling and reckless. And he did until that night with his father. His father, the cold, cruel, rich businessman who saw nothing but the bad things in the world, who hated his own son, who always had an ulterior motive, who-

"Nico."

Nico's gaze snapped back to warm blue ones. Will's gaze was slightly concerned, and his hand was, surprisingly, still gently gripping Nico's wrist. "Come on," Will gently guided him away from the table.

Drew seemed to snap back to attention. "What did you say to me?"

She got up and stormed over to where Nico was standing. She grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket. She was looking at him with an odd curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "What did you say, Neeks?"

Nico knew he was in a dangerous situation. He shouldn't have snapped. It was rash and stupid. He needed to be careful. Hating himself, he wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer. He felt like he was going to be sick. "I said nothing," he murmured, letting his accent slip through. Drew looked up at him, a little surprised, but pleased. Then, before he could stop himself, he added, "Just smooth this over. Please."

He was scolding himself and screaming at himself inwardly. He had begged her. Nico di Angelo had begged Drew Tanaka to fix one of his problems. What was happening to him?

Then Drew was pulled away from him and Percy was gripping his shoulders. "Nico, you need to tell me what's wrong right now." Then Percy was pulled away, to be replaced by Jason. "Nico, what _happened_?" Then Thalia was in his face. "Nico di Angelo, give me an explanation this _second._ "

Nico was feeling overwhelmed. His heart was beating faster. He didn't think he would able to come up with an excuse for this. Nico di Angelo hated himself.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Everyone stopped and turned to Will. Nico didn't know a lot about Will, but he didn't seem like the type to yell like that.

Will was glaring at everyone. "What's wrong with all of you? He clearly doesn't want everyone crowding around him, and he sure doesn't want a girl attached to his arm all day." Drew glared daggers at Will.

An unexpected voice spoke up. "Yeah, guys, chill. Leave him be."

Nico turned around to see Luke Castellan, jock and heartthrob, telling people to leave him alone. Not that Nico was going to let them though.

"I don't need your support, Castellan." he snarled.

"Ah, come on, di Angelo. Let a friend help out."

"I don't have friends and I sure as heck don't need them."

"Don't be so negative, _Neeks_ ,"

Nico tensed. "Don't call me that."

"Why not? Is it an honor reserved for your girlfriend?"

Nico couldn't help it. He slipped into Italian. "Fidanzata? Si sta riferendosi al brattee poco profondo il cui comando viene rispettato? Non è la mia ragazza. Lei mi ha ricattato per essere il suo ragazzo, ma non è la mia ragazza. L'odio." _Girlfriend? Are you referring to the shallow brat whose every command is obeyed? She is not my girlfriend. She may have blackmailed me into being her boyfriend, but she is not my girlfriend. I hate her._

Luke looked thrown off and confused. Everyone did. They didn't know that he spoke fluent Italian. Will even looked stunned.

But Drew was purring. "Oh, that is so _hot_. Say something else in Italian. Or in English. I'll settle for hearing that beautiful accent."

Nico stared at her for a second, then turned and started to walk away. Jason grabbed his arm before he could go far. "I thought you gave up speaking Italian."

"Yeah, man, are you okay?" Percy looked really concerned. Then one of Percy's teammates on the swim team said, "Why do you care, Percy? Let the Ghost King fend for himself."

Percy turned on him angrily. "Why do I care? _Why do I care?_ I care because he's my cousin!" Percy's shout rang out.

It was silent. Everyone was staring at Percy in shock. The hot captain of the swim team was cousins with the unfeeling lone wolf. It was too impossible to comprehend. Popular Percy related to outcast Nico? No way. Then Nico said, " _Idiota._ "

Will was groaning as everyone started talking at once. Then Luke silenced everyone again. "What do you mean, Jackson? What do you mean di Angelo is your cousin?"

"I mean exactly that. Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace and Jason Grace are my cousins. What's the big deal?"

A girl spoke up. "You're related to the creepiest guy in the school?"

Percy glared at her. "Yeah, and I'm proud of it." Percy seemed to get a small mischievous glint in his eye. "Besides, he's not nearly as creepy as he'd like people to believe. He didn't used to wear all black, y'know."

Thalia piped up, seemingly pleased to tease Nico, even slightly. "Yeah, the 'nothing-can-touch-me-I-have-no-feelings' demeanor? All a facade. He cares so deeply about every little thing that-"

"Sta 'zitto!" Nico shouted at her, forgetting to switch back into English.

"You shut up, Nico. Anyway, he cares so much that he-"

Here she was cut of by Nico, who had clamped a hand firmly over her mouth.

"If you say one more word," he hissed in her ear, "I'll-"

"Aw, what's the matter di Angelo? Are you a big softie?" Luke said in a mocking voice.

"Shut up, Castellan. You _all_ know that I could beat anyone here in any kind of fight. And I wouldn't hesitate to throw the first punch, either."

Luke smirked at him, disbelieving. "Yeah, that's what we all _thought_. But Thalia and Percy have brought some interesting facts into the light. You clearly didn't used to be the way you are now. What happened di Angelo? Clearly you're not as tough as we all assumed. Sure, your record wasn't _that_ impressive to begin with, but now it's kind of pathetic."

" _Luke_ ," some girl in the crowd hissed. "Stop that! He's _misunderstood_!"

Nico's eye twitched.

Luke's eyes widened in mock sympathy. "I'm so sorry, di Angelo! I should have remembered that you're a misunderstood lone wolf!"

"Bad boy," someone corrected.

"My bad. Bad boy." Luke amended.

"I'm _not_ misunderstood! I don't care about anyone on this planet. Don't even try telling me I'm wrong because it's the truth. _I don't care about anyone_."

"Ouch," muttered Thalia.

Nico's anger was spiking. "What, did you think I'd open up my arms and make amends for all the years we wasted by ignoring each other? Did you think I'd spill my heart out and tell you every secret? Well, if so, you were _wrong_. I meant it when I said I didn't care about anyone, and you are no exception to that." He looked at all three of his cousins coldly. " _None_ of you are."

And with that he stalked out of the cafeteria. No one dared to stop him.

* * *

No matter how hard he tried, Nico couldn't get the images of his cousins out of his head. They had all looked hurt and betrayed, though he hadn't betrayed them at all.

Nico supposed resentment and anger were still rippling off him, because everyone avoided him. Not that he minded, though. He prefered it that way.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

Drew cornered him at the end of the day. She pulled him into an empty classroom. "You need to listen to me, Nico. You keep getting yourself into trouble. I have a way to smooth this over, but it'll cost you. And if you don't pay I'll divulge the secret about your fainting episode to everyone."

It wasn't a difficult choice. It never was, with blackmail. "What's the cost?"

Drew smiled. It reminded him of a shark. "Well, let's think this over carefully. You've been revealed as the cousin of three of the most popular people in the school. Luke thinks you're soft and weak, and if people believe him it will be a lot harder to defend our story. Percy, Thalia, and Jason know too much about you. They're a danger to our plan. We need a way to get them out of the picture. Now, that's three problems right there. Is there anyone else who could endanger our plan?"

Nico thought of Will. Will knew about his arrhythmia, but Nico was pretty sure he wouldn't go back on his promise of keeping it a secret. Nico also didn't want Drew to do anything to Will. Will seemed way too innocent and _good_ to get wrapped up in all this. "One, but they're not the type to tell anyone. They'll stick with their word to keep it a secret."

"Good. We need to figure out how to tackle this. Nothing like what happened today can ever happen again, Nico. Our immediate threats are your cousins. You need to cut off all ties with them. Block them on your phone and on social media. Ignore them. I'll keep them as far away from you as I can. It'll be hard, because people expect you to interact with them. I'll create another story. I'll say that you confided in me. You need to go along with whatever I say, got it?"

"That depends on what it is."

She gripped his arm tightly. "No, Nico. Whatever I say has to be the story you go along with. Once it's out there, we can't change it. And if I don't start texting tonight, it won't get out there in time." She smirked. "You have to trust me, Nico."

If he didn't agree with her, she'd let everyone know about his weakness. He couldn't let that happen. Weaknesses destroy you. They're the crack needed for the dam to explode. Weaknesses were a way for people to get close to him. And when that happened, they died. No one else was going to die because of him. Never again.

"...Okay,"

Drew's smile widened. "Let's discuss the cost of this, shall we? I noticed you're not one for physical contact. That needs to change. I'm not saying you need to touch me, though that _would_ be most welcome." She grinned evilly. "But I will be touching you. And kissing you. Nose, cheek, forehead, lips, jawline. All that stuff. I will hold your hand, drape myself over you, sit on your lap, feed you at lunch, pull your arm over my shoulder or around my waist, push myself into your arms, play with your hair, wear your leather jacket, and touch your face. And you'll have to put up with affectionate nicknames. Your payment for me inventing _another_ story is you not protesting about _any_ of that. If you protest once, the deal is off."

Nico swallowed, heart beating rapidly in his chest, resisting the urge to vomit. "That's asking a lot."

"I'm aware. But it's only the beginning. And it's the only way for you to keep that weakness a secret."

Nico was nervous. She had basically described his worst nightmare. _Weaknesses lead to deaths,_ he reminded himself. "Okay," he whispered.

Drew smiled, like she had just killed her prey. And in a way she had. "Good," she purred. "But we're not done yet. Luke is a big problem. He'll be a hard threat to neutralize. We need to give him time to do his thing, to try and see what angle he's trying to come in at. Once we figure that out we can think of a way to stop him. You can go now," she added, heading out of the closet.

Nico followed her after a moment, shaking his head. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

The harsh night wind bit at Nico's face as he rode home on his motorcycle that night. His coal black hair ripped in the wind. He was thinking over the events of the past twenty four hours. Drew had him trapped under her thumb, and he resented it. He needed a way out, and he needed it fast.

Nico pulled into the driveway of the di Angelo manor. He quickly did all his homework (it honestly wasn't very hard), and took a shower. Then he layed down on his bed and tried to come up with a plan. He was still trying to come up with a solution when he fell asleep.

All night he was plagued with nightmares. He was inside a car. The windows were shattered and the car was upside down. Blood was dripping from a wound on his head, and rivers of red were running down his arms and legs, one of which was twisted at an odd angle. What scared him the most was he couldn't feel any pain. He just felt numb, and there was a pulse pounding in his head.

"B-Bianca?" he whimpered.

"Shhhh, soldatino," _Shhhh, soldier._ Her face was badly cut, and one of her arms hung limply at her side. "It will be okay."

Sirens were wailing, and Nico's vision was filled with red and blue before it faded to an empty blackness.

* * *

Nico woke up in a cold sweat. He checked the time on his phone. It was 3:23 a.m. He was too terrified to close his eyes. So he got up and took a cold shower. He waited until 6:00 a.m. to get ready for school, his mind replaying that day, the day his life cracked. That day had started the mess that he became, had been the first piece of broken glass that made up the pile his life consisted of, one that grew every day. He was shards of glass.

Nico trudged downstairs. He grabbed his books and a granola bar, and then jumped on his motorcycle to head to school.

Whispers followed him into the building. Nico immediately retreated into himself. This was becoming _way_ too much of a regular occurrence. What story had Drew come up with to explain why he had ignored his cousins for years? Nico thought back to that summer that was so long ago yet was so fresh in his mind.

It was the summer he had graduated eighth grade. Percy, Jason, and Thalia were going to start their second year of high school that fall. Thalia was a year older than the two boys, but she had gotten held back due to 'bad behavior.' The rumor among the family was she didn't want to graduate and spend years alone that she could be spending with her cousins. The four cousins were hanging out at Percy's house, celebrating the end of the school year. Percy was floating in the pool. Jason was sitting on a branch in the tree overlooking the backyard. Thalia, dramatic as ever, was lying on her back in the lawn complaining about the past school year. Nico was sitting away from them all in a chair on the pool deck. He had been more reclusive lately, and it didn't go unnoticed by his cousins.

"-And then, Mrs. Reese starts telling me off for falling asleep in class, but can you really blame me? I mean, she's _boring_. And why should I care about prepositions? It's not like someone's gonna ask me that at a job interview. So what's the point of knowing them? They're _words_ -"

"Thalia," Jason interjected. "If you say one more word about the evils of grammar class, I think I'm gonna go drown myself in the pool."

"Oh, no you don't," Percy said, sitting up and treading water. "I will not have your disgusting corpse contaminating my precious pool."

"Wow, it's so nice to know that my cousin and sister will mourn me when I die. At least I have Nico, right bro?"

Nico was staring at the edge of the pool, not really paying attention.

"Nico?" Jason repeated.

Nico snapped back into reality. "What?" he asked hoarsely.

Percy swam over to the side of the pool where Nico was. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"What kind of stupid question is that? How...how can anyone be _alright_?"

Thalia stood up and walked over to her cousins. Jason jumped down from the tree and followed her. They looked concerned.

"Nico, what's wrong? You know you can tell us." Thalia tried, looking genuinely concerned.

"Everything's wrong," Nico murmured, barely audible.

"What'd you say?" Jason asked, moving closer.

"I said nothing is wrong,"

"Nico, that's a lie and we all know it. What happened? Who needs to be punched?" Percy asked.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Jackson."

"Woah, Nico, back down. Percy wasn't implying anything like that." Jason tried to ease the growing tension, but he ended up adding to it.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just...I'm just not in a great mood today."

"But it's finally summer!" Thalia exclaimed. "You're free of the drudgery that is school for the next few months! And then you'll be with your cousins in high school. Life couldn't get any better."

For some reason that Nico still, three years later, couldn't identify, that comment made something inside him snap. " _Never_ say that. Are you insane? How could all this-" He gestured to the general area around them, signifying his life. "-be good?"

Nico's cousins glanced at each other and sighed, like they expected him to be like this but had been hoping he would prove them wrong. Unfortunately for them, he wasn't sorry to disappoint.

"Nico," Jason began slowly, gently. "We're sorry. We should have realised what day it is today. But you can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not healthy. The past needs to be the past. You can't let the past become your future."

Nico looked at him angrily. "Are you trying to tell me to forget? If you are, you can bet that I will _never_ forget, and I'll _never_ forgive you for suggesting that-"

"Nico!" Percy interrupted. "Jason doesn't want you to forget about them. None of us will ever forget them," Percy added.

Thalia piped in. "We just want you to move on from that part of your life. There's so much more out there for you."

"There was so much more out there for them!"

"Nico, you're the one to live for a reason. As harsh as that may sound, it's true. Aunt Maria and Bianca wouldn't want you to be like this." Percy said.

"Try telling that to my father," Nico spat.

Thalia's eyes snapped to his and she grabbed his arm. "What did he say to you?"

Jason looked troubled and angry at the same time. "Tell us, Nico."

"...He didn't say anything."

"Liar," Percy said. "What did Hades say, Nico?"

"It doesn't matter," Nico murmured.

Jason seemed to be getting impatient. "Nico di Angelo, you're fourteen; stop acting like a toddler and tell us what he said."

Nico bristled. "Stop acting like my mother because you'll never replace her!"

Thalia appeared to be losing her temper as quickly as Nico. "No one's trying to replace her!"

"Would you guys please stop arguing?" Percy yelled. "Jason, don't reprimand him. Thalia, _chill out_ before you say something you regret. And Nico, you need to calm down. We're just trying to help and you're insisting on being difficult."

Difficult. Burden. Unworthy. Undeserving. Mistake. Useless. Regret. _You should have died, Nico._

"You think I'm difficult, too?" Nico whispered, glaring at Percy.

Percy was obviously getting very annoyed, to put it lightly. "Yes, I do."

Jason and Thalia looked very much like they agreed.

A darkness came over Nico. "You want to help me? Cut ties with me. Remove me from your lives."

Immediately his cousins started to protest. Nico cut them off. "I don't want you to burden yourselves with me. I don't want to burden myself with _you_." That last part was a lie, but he needed to remove himself from them. Percy had admitted he was difficult. They obviously worried about him. He didn't want to cause them pain or stress. He did that to too many people, and eventually those people died. _He wouldn't let his cousins die._

"Nico, we won't cut ties with you." Percy was growing more impatient by the second, but he hid it well. Nico, however, could see right through him.

He needed to get them mad, make them not forgive him. "I've been thinking about it a lot recently," Nico began, his voice low and menacing. "You're all just going to get in my way. I don't need your protection, your reassurances, your unamusing humor, your 'love'. I don't need any of you."

Nico could tell they were still going to protest. He knew what he had just said wouldn't have been enough, but he had been hoping that he wouldn't have to say this. He didn't want to hurt them, but it was necessary to keep them from the burden he inflicted upon them. It was necessary to save them from him.

Nico laughed, seemingly at them. "You really thought that the guy who will never be good enough, the girl who everyone disapproves of, and the guy who can't read the board during class could help me? Wow, you guys really are dense." Nico laughed again softly and looked at them like he found their emotions amusing. "Did you really think that I cared about you guys?"

They looked at him. Shocked. Hurt. Betrayed.

Nico barreled on. "You guys are so annoying it's actually quite hard for me to believe that you have friends. I mean, who wants to hang out with the stupid guy? The stubborn, pessimistic girl? The guy who is always paranoid and second-guesses himself, and always falls short? People who pity them, that's who."

Nico didn't mean any of what he said. It tore at his soul to be saying this. But he could handle rejection and hate. He could handle loneliness if it meant no one else got hurt because of him. He wouldn't show them any weakness.

Thalia stood up and punched him. Nico felt his nose break. It hurt more than he cared to admit, but he suppressed a yelp. "You're disgusting. You know what? I will cut ties. I don't want to be related to a jerk, after all." She slapped him across the face, making sure to leave a mark, and then stomped off.

Percy stared at Nico. "Tell me you didn't mean it," he begged. His eyes were teary and desperate. Nico tried to burn that look into his mind, sure that it would be the last time he saw Percy look at him without hate in his eyes. "I meant every word."

Something behind Percy's eyes seemed to break. Shakily, he got up and walked away. "Good bye, Nico." Nico understood the underlying message.

Jason looked after the retreating forms of his sister and cousin. He turned back to look at Nico. "No one has to know we even know each other if you never repeat this to anyone. See you never."

Jason left.

Nico was officially alone.

* * *

Someone bumped into Nico, jerking him back into reality. Nico scowled, "Watch where you're- Will?"

"Hey," Will said flatly.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked immediately.

"Nothing's the matter. I just...I just thought someone was better than what they've been lately. I guess I'm kinda put down about it."

"Oh." Nico didn't know what to say. "Uh, why do you think they're better than what they are?" Nico inwardly winced at his failed attempt at comfort.

Will was looking at him intently, and there was something in his eyes that Nico couldn't quite place. Will seemed...conflicted. But that didn't make any sense. Will always seemed so carefree and open. What could he be hiding?

"They don't seem to think that who they are is okay. In fact, who they are is _great_. I wish I could show them that. They're a lot stronger and braver than they give themselves credit for, but recently it's like they're walking on glass. One wrong step and they get hurt. I just wish they trusted me enough to tell me what was wrong. When I tried to ask them about it they got all defensive and shut me out automatically."

"They sound like a pain," Nico told him. "Why do you insist on trying to help someone who clearly doesn't appreciate your efforts?"

Will stared at Nico for a few seconds. At last, he replied, "I think that they're going to do something that they'll regret soon. I don't want them to get hurt."

Will walked away, leaving Nico to ponder who he could have possibly been talking about.

 **A/N: Please excuse the Google translate Italian. Yes, there will eventually be a little Jiper and Percabeth. Other couples will be mentioned too. Solangelo will be a slow development. It will not happen at the** **snap** **of your fingers. Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters. All Rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot.**

Nico soon found out what story Drew had fabricated. According to her, Nico was part of a street gang. Because there had previously been rumors about this, everyone accepted it as truth. The particular street gang Nico was a part of, however, remained a mystery. Percy, Thalia, and Jason had protested Nico joining, and Nico, being as stubborn as he was, had joined the night following their argument. Rumor had it that Nico's cousins were so infuriated that they decided to cut off all ties with him, refusing to acknowledge being related to someone who belonged to a street gang in New York. As for why Percy, Jason, and Thalia had refused to refer to _each other_ as cousins was still unknown. It was really very poorly thought out, but the student body was satisfied. And that was all Nico cared about.

Nico really didn't know why his cousins had stopped talking to each other. He assumed they had a big argument between themselves. It wasn't surprising really, but it must have been huge to make Jason stop talking to the two, especially since Thalia was his sister. Jason was always the type of person who stepped in to keep people from arguing; he must have received a huge insult to stop talking to his family.

His family.

 _Nico's_ family.

But Jason had always been a better person than Nico. They all had.

Jason made people feel wanted. Nico knew that anyone who was lucky enough to be liked by Jason would always be liked by him, even if it came down to a platonic way.

Percy was so loyal saying even the smallest and most innocent of lies hurt him to say. Huge difference from Nico. Anyone lucky enough to gain Percy's trust did anything they could to keep it. Nico was the only exception.

Thalia kept everything real. She never wasted time telling someone that what they wanted could happen. She told them bluntly that they just weren't good enough at a certain subject to obtain a certain career. She was refreshingly real.

Nico always pushed people away. Everyone close to him died. His whole life was a lie. He didn't think that there was a single person in the school who knew one truth about him, the only exceptions being his cousins and Will, who knew about his arrhythmia.

Will.

Nico admittedly didn't know a lot about Will, but it had really hurt him in a strange way to see him worry about his friend like that. It had almost hurt Nico to see those cerulean blue eyes shine with pain, as if Will himself felt agony at his friend's pain. Nico could tell that he wanted his friend to realize what kind of mistake they were making. Nico knew absolutely nothing about Will or his friends, but he wanted to help. Nico hadn't wanted to help anyone in a long time.

Nico made up his mind. He was going to help Will. But he had to be careful.

He didn't want Will to get hurt.

"Oh, Nico!"

Nico groaned. That sickly sweet voice had finally found him. He kept walking, hoping to slip into the bathroom before that she-beast caught up to him.

He wasn't fast enough. Nails dug into arm. He was forcibly turned around, and was unfortunately faced with the unpleasant sight of Drew's face. Drew's incredibly caked with makeup face. And she was looking at him with a forced smile. Oh, this was going to be fun.

"Nice try," she hissed at him. "You're coming with me."

Nico was dragged once again into the janitor's closet. This was happening too frequently for Nico's liking.

"Where have you been?" Drew demanded.

"Uh, at school?"

Drew rolled her eyes at him. "Listen to me, Neeks-"

"Don't call me that."

"I can call you whatever I want, remember? It's part of the deal. Speaking of which, you're not following through with your end."

"What do you mean?" Nico demanded.

"You're supposed to be in a relationship with me, honey. One-sided relationships never work."

Nico was silent. His hatred for Drew grew every day. He felt like some sort of pet, and he despised it.

A sound came from outside the door. Nico and Drew froze. They kept listening, but nothing followed. Eventually Drew turned back to him. "Handsome, the deal was you become my boyfriend and I cover up your fainting episode in the cafeteria. Boyfriends aren't afraid of their girlfriends touching them. They don't run away. They don't protest sitting next to them. Basically, you are a terrible boyfriend. You need to improve if you don't want everyone knowing your secret. Understand, Sugar?"

Nico, as much as he hated being touched and being called pet names (and Drew in general), he hated being vulnerable more. Even though he would be vulnerable around Drew no matter which option he chose, it was better than being vulnerable around everyone.

Nico decided being a better boyfriend was necessary.

"Perfectly,"

 **A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. The next one will be longer. Thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot.**

Nico stepped out of the closet after Drew. He was trapped. Utterly, completely trapped. He could see no solution to his problem. He and Drew had stared at each other for a minute, before Drew had smiled and reached for the doorknob. She knocked over a bucket in the process, but no one seemed to hear. So now Nico was here, contemplating his life decisions.

Nico went through the whole day without really paying attention to the people around him, or his classes. During free period, Nico saw Will Solace. He was surrounded by people, but it seemed to Nico like the only people he was really good friends with were a girl with dark hair with lime green streaks in it and a boy with sandy brown hair. Upon closer inspection, Nico saw that the girl had striking green eyes and a slightly upturned nose. Her features were sharp and gave her a rebellious air. She was wearing a dark green, wide strap tank top and black frayed jean shorts. A pair of worn black Converse adorned her feet. Her hair just barely reached her shoulders. She was rolling her eyes, but smiling, at something Will said.

The boy's hair was unkempt. Looking closer, Nico could see natural highlights in it. His eyes were a couple shade darker than his hair, and they contained a mischievous glint in them. Like the girl, he had sharp features. His ears were slightly pointed, as were his eyebrows, giving him a bit of an untrustworthy appearance. He was wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Like Nico, he was wearing a pair of black Vans. He was laughing at something the girl said.

And then there was Will himself.

Nico knew that Will was tall, but seeing how he towered over all the people around him really made Nico realize just how tall he was. Looking at him now, Nico thought that he must have been at least 6'1". Nico was quite short in comparison, about 5'10". Really, that was fairly tall, but Nico felt short looking at Will.

Will.

Cerulean blue eyes. They were...captivating. Nico felt like he couldn't look away. They were always shining with happiness. Nico didn't know that so much joy could be contained in someone's gaze, but Will managed it. Nico had to keep himself in check every time he looked Will in the eyes for fear of getting lost in them.

His hair was a beautiful gold color. It curled gently, and it looked _so soft_. Nico wanted to run his hands through it. It contrasted wonderfully against his tan, freckled skin. His jaw was chiseled, his teeth a blinding white, his lips a soft pink. His arms looked really strong, and Nico wondered what it would be like to be wrapped in them.

 _Woah, di Angelo,_ he thought. _Those thoughts stop right there._

At that moment, Will looked up and saw Nico. His smile faded as a determined and even stern expression overtook his features. Will excused himself from the group and walked over towards Nico.

Nico was frozen in place as Will approached him, and he _couldn't figure out why_.

"Hey, Nico." Will was standing in front of him, smiling.

"Hey, Will."

"Nico, listen. I-I think you and I need to talk."

Nico was quiet. Will proceeded to ramble.

"I know that we hardly know each other, but I _want_ to know you. I know that you don't like people talking to you, about you, or really people in general, but I think this is really important and-"

"Will," Nico interrupted. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"Come over here."

Will led Nico over to an abandoned hallway. "Look, I-I heard you and Drew. Talking. In the janitor's closet."

Nico's heart stopped then and there. Cold dread and horror filled his stomach. " _What?_ "

"Nico. What _exactly_ did Drew make you do?"

"N-nothing. She didn't make me do anything."

"You and I both know that's a lie."

"But how do you _know_?''

Will looked a little sheepish. "I saw her drag you in. And I kinda sorta listened outside the door."

Realization flooded Nico. "You made that noise."

Will nodded. "I dropped my book when I heard what she said. And I left when I heard the bucket fall."

Nico's mind was racing. Will _knew._ He didn't know all of it, sure, but he knew enough to scare Nico.

What happened to the days when Nico had nothing to fear? Oh, right. They disappeared the day Nico found out he had arrhythmia.

"Nico," Will whispered. "What did she do? What is she making _you_ do?"

"I...I can't...Will, I _can't_!"

"Nico," Will begged. "Please tell me. I know that this seems like prying, but I can see how much this is affecting you. Please; if you tell me, I might be able to help you. We can look for a solution together. Just tell me exactly what her deal was. I want to help, Nico."

"Why?" Nico whispered, distressed. "Why do you care so much? We hardly know each other."

"Would you feel more comfortable if we knew each other better?"

"Yes," Nico lied.

"Then let's meet up after school. You can ask me anything you want to know, within reason, and I'll ask you questions, but you'll only have to

answer if you're comfortable with it. Then by the end of this, if you're not away from Drew, you can decide whether you want me to help or not. Just promise that you'll ask someone for help at the end of it, even if it's not me."

"...I'll meet you at the front doors."

Will smiled a breathtaking smile. "Great! I'll see you then. Interact with Drew as little as possible today, okay?"

"Whatever you say, Sunshine."

Will grinned. "Sunshine?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Nico shrugged. "Because you look like the greek god Apollo."

Will's smile could have powered a small country. "Well then, I guess I'll see you later, Death Boy!"

Will ran off before Nico could say anything, leaving himself to wonder just what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

Nico, much to Drew's annoyance and inevitably Will's eventual pleasure, had managed to keep a good amount of distance from Drew. Of course, he couldn't completely ignore her, but for the brief moments he was in her company he did (small) coupley things. He held her hand for a total of twenty seconds, and he even carried a couple textbooks for her. Finally, the day was over. Sighing, he closed his locker door and made his way to the front doors to meet Will Solace.

Will was already there when Nico arrived. "So," Will began, "I was thinking that we could go to that cafe downtown. It's rarely even remotely busy, so we'll be left alone there and no one will overhear."

"Okay," Nico said, not really caring. The sooner this was over with, the better.

They exited the building and Will pulled out a pair of keys from his pocket. "My car is right over there," he said. "We can-"

"Oh no," Nico interrupted, smirking slightly. "I agreed to this, but we're doing it on my terms. _This_ way." Nico led Will over to his motorcycle. The blonde approached it carefully, as if afraid it was going to bite him. Nico realised Will had probably never been on a motorcycle before.

"You have a license for this, right?"

Nico snorted. "Of course I do. Despite what everyone seems to think, I don't break the law just for the fun of it."

"...I'm going to ignore what you implied about you and law. How do you…?"

Will looked faintly embarrassed, and Nico realized that Will didn't know the first thing about motorcycles, and, because he was _not_ turning this into a scene from one of those cheesy romance movie his half sister Hazel watched, Nico made an offer. "How about you lead the way in your car and I'll follow you on here?"

Looking relieved, Will nodded and left. Nico put on his helmet and climbed on his motorcycle. He wondered why Will wanted to help him with his...problem. Nico's immediate thoughts were that Will wanted something from him. But, while Nico didn't know the guy very well, he didn't think that was the case. Will Solace seemed way too genuine for that. Nico groaned internally. Will Solace. The guy was admittedly attractive. He had curly blonde hair and eyes the color of cornflowers. His skin was tan, and it made the freckles across his nose and cheeks stand out. Nico didn't think he did any kind of sports- not competitively, at least- but he was fairly muscular. Not like Percy or Jason, but still impressive.

Nico mentally slapped himself. He _had_ to stop thinking these thoughts. He was not, in any way, even _remotely_ attracted to people he had just met. Especially if said person was Will Solace.

A car horn startled him from his thoughts. There was Will in front of him, driving a red pickup truck. The window on the passenger's side was rolled down. "Ready, Death Boy?" Will called.

Nico revved the engine of his motorcycle in response, following Will to the cafe, and quite possibly to his doom.

* * *

The cafe they had arrived at was, as Will had promised, low on business. The employee behind the register had on headphones, and she didn't even notice Nico and Will walk in. There was no one else there.

"Did you want anything?" Will asked, looking like he was hoping Nico would say no.

Nico shook his head. "Even if I did, I don't think anything short of an apocalypse could get her attention."

They chose a table in the back corner, far from the register, despite the lack of people. There was an awkward silence, then Will spoke. "So. Ask away, I guess."

Nico took his time studying Will, wondering what he was thinking and what question to ask. Will looked a tad bit nervous, but then again, Nico would be too if he told someone that they could ask him any question. Finally, Nico spoke.

"Let's start simple. Any siblings?"

Will visibly relaxed, for obvious reasons. He laughed a little. "Oh, yeah. Lots. They're all my half-siblings though. My dad has been known to 'get around'. Let's see- there's Kayla, she's two years younger than me, and she's _really_ into archery. Austin, he's Kayla's age, and, like, a prodigy on the saxophone. I think he has some videos on YouTube. My sister, Kyra, is four; my brother, Justin, is seven. Both of them are really loud and rambunctious. Monica, she's ten, is a sculptor. Then there was-"

Will's smile, which had been present throughout his speech, rapidly faded. The light in his eyes dimmed. His whole demeanor changed, growing solemn. "Anyway," Will said, after a moment, "that's my family. Next question?"

Nico found his behavior odd, but decided not to press for now, if only because he hated it when people pressed him for information. He asked, "What do your parents do? Your dad is a doctor, right?"

Will nodded. "Yeah. He's a neurosurgeon. My mom is a musician in California-"

"Wait," Nico interjected, "your mom lives in California?"

"Yeah, she isn't one for responsibility. She was nineteen when I was born. She was _not_ capable of taking care of a child. So, I live with my dad."

Nico noticed that Will seemed a little...bitter? Resentful? It made Nico feel bad for bringing it up, but it also spiked his curiosity. Will resonated happiness; it was hard to think of the guy as anything _but_ happy. Now that Nico thought about it, every time Will said _my dad_ , he had seemed irritated and annoyed. Nico wondered why. But Nico didn't want to take advantage of Will's offer (at least not _that_ much), so he asked another question.

"What career are you pursuing?"

Will seemed grateful for the change of subject. "I want to go to medical school. I'd like to work as a doctor in the ER."

"That's...admirable," Nico said. "And ambitious."

Will beamed. "It'll be worth all the money and school."

Nico looked at his phone to check the time. They had been at the cafe about an hour. "I gotta get going, so how about you ask me your question?"

"Sure." Will agreed. "What do _you_ want to do, Nico?"

Nico thought about it. As he stood up, he said, "I want to go into forensic science. Bye, Will."

Without waiting for a response, Nico left.

 **A/N: Leave a review and tell me any questions you want Nico to ask Will! I can't promise every question will be used, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot, and a few original characters. If you don't recognize something, it's mine.**

 **Warning: There are mentions of a fist fight in this chapter. Very mild language.**

Thankfully, Hades wasn't there when Nico got home. Neither was his stepmother, Persephone. Persephone hated Nico, and he was pleased to say that the feeling was mutual.

Hades had married Persephone soon after Nico's own mother, Maria, and his sister, Bianca, died. Nico had been absolutely furious when Hades had told him he was getting married. To him it was too soon, the pain was still too raw, their deaths too fresh in his memory. He had felt betrayed; instead of grieving with him, his father was marrying another woman, practically a _stranger_ , and was trying to replace his _family._ His father had made him go to the wedding, had even made Nico bring flowers to give to Persephone during the reception. Nico had given her a bouquet of yellow carnations (which meant 'disdain'), tansy (these were Nico's personal favorite, as they meant 'I declare war on you'), peonies ('anger'), and he had mixed in basil leaves for good measure (they meant 'hate'). Nico had asked the employee at the flower shop to make sure he got the meanings of the flowers right during his research. He had. The employee was, needless to say, very surprised at the message Nico was trying to get across. His hard work hadn't gone to waste- Persephone knew the meaning of that bouquet. Hades, however, did not.

As expected, Persephone hadn't grown any warmer toward Nico. She tolerated him only when Hades was in the room, but Nico didn't know why she bothered. Hades didn't like him either. They showed their strong dislike in different ways. Hades largely ignored Nico. Persephone made sure Nico knew everything he did wrong, how he could have done something better, and how Nico was a huge disappointment in general.

Nico paused in the doorway, deciding if it was worth it to walk all over Persephone's beloved garden and flower beds. He decided it against for the moment. He went inside and started up the giant staircase that led to his room. Just as he put his foot on the first step, he felt someone's nails dig into his upper arm, spinning him around.

Nico was wrong. Apparently Persephone _was_ home.

"Where were you?" She hissed at him.

Nico just looked at her, unfazed. "At school."

"You were supposed to be back a couple hours ago."

"I was with a classmate."

"Doing what, exactly?"

"I don't see how it's your business."

Her hazel eyes narrowed. "I'm your stepmother," she said in a sickly sweet voice. "It's part of my job to-" She swallowed like the words pained her to say. "-be there for...you."

"...I was talking to a classmate."

"For two hours?"

Nico bristled. "Why do you care?"

A sneer overtook her features. "Get in the parlor."

Nico couldn't argue, mainly because she hadn't let go of his arm and was dragging him in. Persephone shoved him in the direction of the couch.

Nico scowled as he sat down. He glared at Persephone openly as she turned around. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"Hades-" Persephone never referred to Hades as Nico's father, as she thought of it as a way to admit that Hades had had another wife and children, "has to leave on a business trip. It'll be just you and me in the house for the next two months-"

" _Two months_?!" Nico repeated, horrified. Hades had gone on business trips before, but never for that much time. Nico didn't know how he'd survive; being alone with his stepmother for two weeks was near unbearable. Two months? Forget it. At least when his father was around, Persephone wasn't outright cruel to him. When Hades was absent, the mansion was even more of a prison than usual. Nico didn't know how he was going to survive the next two months.

" _Yes_ , two months," Persephone snapped. "Because we're forced to be in the same house, I'm setting ground rules for you. You are to come directly home from school every day, no exceptions. Once you get home, you will go to your room and stay there for the rest of the evening. I'll have dinner sent up to you. Jules-Albert will drive you to and from school. I will not even try to get you out of any trouble you get into; you're on your own. Understood?"

Nico glared at her. He had no intention of following any of those rules. He was his own person; he would do as he pleased. But Persephone was waiting for an answer, so he nodded stiffly.

"Good."

Nico got up and began to walk away. How dare Persephone set curfews for him? She had no right whatsoever. For all he cared, she could jump off a cliff and-

"Oh, and Nico?"

Nico froze in the doorway, back to her. "What?"

"Hades told me about your...heart condition. Let's avoid any episodes and hospital bills, okay?"

Nico didn't bother responding as he left. He was so angry with her, with _himself_. He, Nico di Angelo, had a heart condition. He had landed himself in the hospital because of it. He had let a girl near _control_ him and make him her boyfriend. His cousins hated him. His sister and mother were dead. His father ignored him, his stepmother treated him like gum on the bottom of her expensive red high heels, and he was in a situation so complicated, he didn't think he'd ever get out of it. He hated feeling so weak, so powerless. Nico had thought that if he numbed himself, bad things wouldn't happen to him; or at least, they wouldn't make him hurt. But he failed at everything. He couldn't even protect himself. Nico couldn't even _lie_ well enough to keep his problems hidden. He was a failure. He didn't know what he had been thinking when he told Will he wanted to go into forensic science, he'd never make it that far-

Will.

Will could be the answer to Nico's problems. He knew (most) of them. He could help him get out of this...mess. Nico didn't know how, but he just might be able to.

That, or Will could be the one to cause his downfall.

Nico had a decision to make. He didn't, on one hand, necessarily trust Solace, but he did have a kind of intuition that he _could_ , like a gut instinct. Nico didn't want to admit he needed help, but he did. He couldn't do this alone anymore. Nico made up his mind. He would do a _lot_ more of those meeting things with Solace, would try to trust him. If Nico did end up trusting him, he would ask for his help. If he didn't...well, one step at a time.

The first thing he had to do was get in touch with Will to set up another da- meeting. Another _meeting_. Nico mentally berated himself. _You don't even know the guy, Nico! Stop thinking those thoughts!_

When Nico got to school the next day, he immediately headed over to where Will was.

"Solace," he said, gaining the blonde's attention. Will smiled upon seeing him. Something inside Nico twisted at the sight; in fact, Nico almost smiled _back_. No one had looked at him and smiled in a very long time.

"Yeah, Nico?"

"I want to meet up with you again. As soon as possible."

If possible, Will's smile brightened. "Of course! Here, let me give you my number. Then we can work out more details." Will grabbed a sticky note from his locker and wrote down his number, turning and handing it to Nico.

"Thanks," Nico muttered, turning and beginning to walk away.

"Hey, Nico!" Nico turned back toward Will.

"Yeah, Sunshine?"

Will smiled softly. "I think you'd do great as a forensic scientist."

Nico, unused to praise, didn't know what to say. "Thanks?" he asked, more than said. Then he walked away.

As he was walking towards his locker, he texted Will.

 **To: Sunshine**

 **It's Nico.**

Nico smiled inwardly at the name. He decided he would allow himself the freedom of calling Will Sunshine, at least when he was alone.

He got a reply quickly.

 **From: Sunshine**

 **Hey Nico :)**

 **To: Sunshine**

 **When can you meet up?**

 **From: Sunshine**

 **Does today work? Ik it's short notice, but…**

 **To: Sunshine**

 **That's fine. Right after school? I can meet you at your locker.**

 **From: Sunshine**

 **Perfect! See you then XD**

Nico rolled his eyes. Even through text, Will's enthusiasm never failed to present itself.

"Hey, di Angelo!"

Nico tensed. Luke Castellan came into view. "What do you want, Castellan?"

Luke feigned a look of concern. "I wanted to see how you were holding up after that fainting episode. I was gonna help you into the cafeteria. Can't have you going to the hospital _again_ , now, can we? Here, let me carry that for you." Luke grabbed Nico's backpack and threw it to one of his cronies, Ethan Nakamura.

Nico grit his teeth, his fists clenching at his sides. "Hand it back, Castellan, Nakamura. Now."

"Or what?" Luke asked mockingly, stepping closer to Nico so he was all up in his face. "You'll faint and let the ambulance rescue you? I don't think that'll work, di Angelo. After all, you haven't gotten into any gang fights lately, have you." It was a statement, not a question.

Nico gave Luke one of his signature death glares. He had the satisfaction of seeing the confidence in Luke's eyes waver briefly, almost unnoticeably. "Hand it over."

"I don't think so. Ethan, empty the bag." By now a crowd of students had gathered around them. Nico was five seconds away from punching the smirk off Luke's face.

Eyes never leaving Luke, Nico said, "Nakamura. Empty the bag, and I'll punch you."

Ethan looked unsure for a moment. His single brown eye flickered between Luke and Nico. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw look clench his fist threateningly. Nico inwardly seethed. Castellan was basically blackmailing Nakamura to do what he told him to. Still, Nico's glare seemed to be foreboding enough that it took Ethan a split second longer to decide. Nico watched as all his textbooks and-

Nico froze. _His phone_. He must have subconsciously shoved his phone into his backpack when Luke called him. Nico- stupidly, in hindsight- didn't have a passcode. _Crap._

Luke picked up the phone. Smiling, he looked sideways at Nico. Nico saw him unlock it. He couldn't move. He was frozen in place.

Luke smiled triumphantly. "Oooh, Nico, who's Sun-"

Nico's fist connected with Luke's jaw. Luke dropped the phone, which landed face down on the pile of textbooks. He stumbled backwards, hissing and clutching his jaw.

Nico turned to Ethan, who promptly turned and fled the scene. Good. Now it was just Luke and Nico. He could handle that.

Luke threw a punch at Nico, who ducked. While Luke's defense was down, Nico aimed a fist towards him again. Luke moved out if the way in the nick of time, grabbing onto Nico's arm and using his momentum to throw his against the wall. Nico slammed into someone's locker. Luke stood over him, about to punch his face. Nico rolled out of the way, and he heard the cracking of bones as Luke's hand punched the floor. Luke howled in pain.

While he was distracted, Nico shoved Luke's back, successfully landing him in the same position Nico had been in earlier, only Luke's face was up against the wall this time. Nico was about to punch him again, but stopped. His chest felt tight. His heart was pounding in his chest. He felt lightheaded. Luke managed to take advantage of Nico's hesitation, spinning around and shoving Nico to the floor. It was already hard for Nico to breathe, but when Luke sat across his chest, his knees on Nico's elbows, pinning them to his sides, it was near impossible. His head had connected with the floor hard. Luke started punching him mercilessly, Nico could hardly form a coherent thought through the pain.

Through the haze he heard yelling. Some he vaguely recognized, some he didn't. Luke was pulled off of him roughly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Percy yelled.

Percy started shoving Luke around, and Jason appeared next to him.

"Nico," he said. "I'm calling an ambulance, okay?"

Nico groaned in response.

A boy with curly brown hair, coffee eyes, and elfish features appeared next to Jason. "I'm Leo," the boy told him calmly. "I saw what happened. You need to go to a hospital." The boy- _Leo_ \- turned to Jason. "We need to move him out of here. It's too chaotic. I'll call the ambulance, you carry him."

Jason nodded to Leo and bent to pick Nico up. Before he could, however, a pair of tan arms pushed their way through the crowd. Blue, blue eyes and golden curls entered Nico's line of vision.

"Jason," Will said. "I'll carry him. You force the crowd back." Jason, again, nodded. Will carefully slipped one arm under Nico's knees, and the other behind his back. When he passed out, Will Solace was carrying him bridal style through a crowded hallway of students. His last thought was how Thalia would never let him live this down.

* * *

Nico blearily opened his eyes. He was, once more, in a hospital bed. The difference this time was, however, the amount of people staring back at him.

He sat bolt upright, regretting it immediately as white hot pain shot through his head. Strong hands gripped his shoulders, gently but firmly pushing him back down. "Easy there, Nico."

"W-Will?"

"I'm here," Will assured him. "You need to rest. You have a concussion."

"Who else is here?" Nico asked. He looked around the room and saw Percy, Jason, Thalia, and, to his surprise and Leo.

"How's the head, dude?" Leo asked.

"Horrible," Nico groaned.

Percy looked both angry and concerned, somehow. "Why, Nico? Just- _why_?"

Nico, still groggy and confused, said, "What?"

That just seemed to make Percy angrier. "What do you mean, _what?_ Nico, this is the second time you've landed yourself in the hospital this _month_. You heard Will! You have a concussion! Your face is all bruised, your lip is busted, you broke your nose, and don't even get me started on your hear-"

"Percy." Will interrupted firmly. "You can yell at him later. Right now he needs to calm down. He's concussed anyway- this isn't gonna stick with him. If anything, it'll make his condition worse."

Percy, still angry with Nico, turned on Will. "What would _you_ know? You're no professional- just a kid who sets his hopes too high- _way_ too high, in my opinion-"

"Perseus Jackson!" Thalia yelled. She glared at him, along with everyone else in the room. Percy froze, horror and shame spreading on his face when he realized what he had said.

Will's expression had changed drastically. He looked completely devoid of all emotion- almost as though it was a natural defense mechanism. It made Nico freak out internally because he _knew_ that look, that defense system. He used it all the time. So often, in fact, that it had become his dominant emotion. That look of apathy and numbness- it had messed up his life. Had messed up _him_. He couldn't let that happen to someone like Will.

Percy started apologizing profusely. "Will, I'm so, _so_ sorry-"

"No," Will mumbled. "You're entitled to your own opinion. I- I have to go." And Will left the room, that horrible expression still decorating his beautiful features. Features that should never have to wear that look.

Percy put his head in his hands and groaned. "I can't believe I just said that. Please tell me that this is all a nightmare and I didn't say that."

It was quiet.

Then Nico said, "Cos'hai che non va? Non ne meritava niente. E il piu gentile-" _What's wrong with you? He didn't deserve any of that. He's the kindest-"_ Nico cut himself off. _Thank goodness I said that in Italian,_ he thought.

"I need to go apologize to him," Percy murmured. " _After_ I scold Nico." He turned his sea green eyes to his cousin. "Why did you punch Luke? I get that he's a jerk, but did you really need to punch him?"

Nico was about to make a snarky reply, but Leo cut him off. "Oh, Luke totally deserved to be punched. Even if looking through someone's phone wasn't reason enough, all the other stuff he's done is." Turning to look at Nico, he added, "I'm Leo Valdez, by the way. You were pretty out of it when I last introduced myself."

"No, I- I remember. Thank you, Leo."

Leo looked mildly surprised that Nico had thanked him. "No problem, dude. Anytime."

Jason cleared his throat, always the one to get down to business. "How _are_ you, Nico?"

"I'm fine."

"Cut the crap, Nico." Thalia interjected. "You are in a _hospital_ bed, you are most certainly _not_ fine."

Nico wrinkled his nose at her, then stopped because it kind of hurt. "I'll live."

Thalia didn't look satisfied, but she let it slide. "Luke is somewhere downstairs. You really showed him up, based on his condition when I last saw him." She grinned at Nico. "Just thought you'd like to know."

A smirk graced Nico's lips. "Good,"

It was quiet for a moment.

Then Leo spoke. "Well, I better get going. See you around, Nico."

They all said goodbye, and Leo left.

"So," Jason began. "I think the four of us need to talk. Guys, we used to be so close. What _happened_?"

Nico blinked at him. "Uh, I told you guys to get lost and leave me alone?"

Percy snorted. "That's putting it mildly," he muttered.

Jason ignored him. "Yeah, but since when do we listen to a thing you say?"

"This isn't funny, Jason," Nico growled. He tried to get up, but had to sit back down immediately. The room was spinning.

"Woah, Nico!" Percy rushed over to his bedside, Thalia and Jason hot on his heels. "We can talk about this later. Nico, is there anything you need?"

Nico made a decision. "Yeah. Get Will. You guys can go. He has a car. I'm sure he'll drive me home if I need to go anywhere."

They all looked a little hurt. Then Percy said, "Why Will? Why not one of us?"

Nico looked at him. "You're the one who told me I needed to trust someone in my life. I'm trying to trust him."

Percy wouldn't let it go. "Why do you want to trust him? What do you even really know about him? What does he have that we don't?"

Nico looked him unflinchingly in the eye. "I want to trust him because I think I might be able to. I can't say that about everyone. You're both right and wrong; I do know some things about him. He wants to become a doctor. He has brothers and sisters. His father is a doctor. He's a kind person. I'm going to continue learning things about him. I didn't say I already trusted him after all; I just said I _wanted_ to. As for what he has that you guys don't- he isn't pushing me. He's letting me take things at my own pace. He's helping me through...this."

Percy looked like he was about to protest further, but jason interrupted him. "Let's go, Percy. Nico can trust whoever he wants. It's his choice."

"Thank you," Nico whispered to Jason. Jason gave him a tight smile, and ushered the others out the door. A few minutes later Will walked in.

"You wanted to see me?" Will asked, looking a little surprised. The numb expression was still there, but it wasn't as prominent.

"Yeah," Nico said. "We agreed we would meet up today, before I messed everything up. I'd like to do it here, if you're still up for it."

Will's eyes softened. "You didn't mess anything up. It was high time Luke got what he deserved. And, _of course_ I'm still up for it." Will smiled. Nico's shoulders sagged a little in relief when the expression faded completely from his face. "Ask away."

Nico thought for a minute. "Have you always lived in New York?"

"Well, like I said, I was born in California. I lived there with my dad-" Nico noticed his nose wrinkled slightly "-for about two years, before he got...restless. We started moving all over the place, not really settling anywhere. That's when my siblings were born- that time period, I mean. All of us ended up under my dad's care. Kayla's mom's family didn't want her to have a bastard child. Austin's mom died. So did Monica's. Justin's mom was an alcoholic. Kyra's mom couldn't support her. My mom, as I mentioned, didn't want the responsibility of taking care of a child. All of our moms were really young. Dad was known to be a charmer and a _major_ flirt. He'd hit on just about anyone. He's bisexual. This was all before he became a doctor, by the way. He's...changed. But, yeah. We've only lived in New York for...five years? I think that's right."

Nico was surprised. The more time he spent with Will, the more he realised Will's life wasn't as average and carefree as he'd thought. It was intriguing.

"What made you want to become a doctor?"

Strangely, Will's expression glazed over just slightly. Something in his eyes made him seem like he was hesitant to share this information. Nico was about to backpedal when Will spoke.

"I...I want to help people. I want to help keep families together. Next question?"

The brief response was...unexpected. Nico didn't know why he'd feel uncomfortable about answering _that_ question, but he wouldn't push Will. Not when he wasn't pushing Nico.

Nico decided to push the conversation in a completely different direction. "Pet peeve?"

"Ooooh, good question. Close-minded people. Or people who just don't know what they're talking about. Especially when it comes to important topics, like politics, the environment, and the LGBTQ+ community." Nico's heart sped up. "Whether you're arguing for or against something, please be able to back up your argument with facts. It just makes that person look stupid anyway."

Nico swallowed before asking his next question. "And, um, how... _do_ you feel about...the LGBTQ+ community?"

"As in, do I think it's unnatural to be anything other than straight and cisgender?"

Nico nodded numbly.

"No! I mean, I'm not against the LGBTQ+ community. The spice of life, am I right?" Will paused. "Sorry, that was kind of confusing. I have nothing against anyone queer. Nico, _I'm_ gay."

Nico blinked. _What?_

"Nico, is...is that a problem?"

Nico's head jerked up, eyes widening. "What? No! No, of course not."

Will looked immensely relieved. "Okay, good."

"Has...has it ever _not_ been okay when you told someone?"

Will studied his hands. "I'm pretty open about it, so, yeah, a couple times. But that's to be expected."

"You're brave."

Nico hadn't meant to say it, but those words _were_ true. He tensed a little, wondering how Will would react.

One corner of Will's mouth lifted in a small smile. " Not really, but thanks."

Nico suddenly got a little angry. "What do you mean 'not really'? Will, just coming out to one person takes a _lot_ of courage. Being open about it? That's incredibly brave."

Will looked at him, slightly confused. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"I'm not. That's just my opinion on the matter." It technically wasn't a lie. He hadn't told anyone, probably _wouldn't_ tell anyone. But he still knew how much courage it would take. Immeasurable courage. And Will was _open_ about it. He didn't care who knew. Nico couldn't fathom telling someone he was...was _gay_ , let alone letting the whole world know and not caring what they thought. _Brave._

Will's smile was warm, but it also contained just a touch of sadness, but Nico couldn't fathom why. "I'm glad you're so accepting of me, Nico. Thank you."

"Of course." Then, quieter, he said, "You shouldn't have to say that. You shouldn't have be glad that people accept you for who you love. You shouldn't have to thank me for not yelling obscenities at you, for not shunning you, for-"

"Nico."

Nico looked at Will.

"I know. I shouldn't have to. But I do, and it means a lot to me. So thank you."

Nico stayed silent.

Will spoke. "You need to rest, and I need to go home soon. Do you need a ride? I can ask my question on the way to my car."

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem." Will helped Nico through the hospital (Nico having already been checked out), and soon they were in the parking garage. Once they were at Will's truck, Nico spoke again.

"Before you ask your question, I have one more."

Will smiled that beautiful smile of his. "Shoot."

" _How_ did you...come out? I'm sorry if that's too personal; you don't have to answer it-"

"No, no, it's fine. Coming out for me wasn't as hard as it is for some people. My dad is bisexual, so he was totally fine with it. I was twelve, I think? I think I said, 'Dad? I'm gay,' and he said, 'That's cool, Will.' Nothing else was really said about it."

Nico wasn't satisfied. "But at school? How did that go?"

"Oh, normal stuff. In the beginning I got bullied _a lot_ , but it turns out it's easy to learn how to throw a punch when you need to. People backed off pretty quickly once they realised I could hit them back. Now I'll receive the occasional slur, but I'm pretty good at shrugging those off. Their words don't define me, ya'know?"

"Yeah, I guess," Nico whispered. Will got in the driver's seat. He turned the key in the ignition and started backing out. Millions of thoughts were echoing in Nico's head, but one phrase Will had said kept resurfacing: _Their words don't define me, ya'know?_

No, he didn't know. How could Will be so sure of himself. He had said that he had had to learn to defend himself in a fight just because he had admitted to being gay. Nico hated the way his thoughts arranged that sentence, as if it was a _crime_. But Will hadn't even said he was _advertising_ it; he had just said he didn't deny it, that he let a rumor be known as the truth.

"Can I ask my question now?"

Nico was jolted back to the present. "Yes,"

"What's your favorite type of music? Genre or band."

Nico thought about it for a while. "Honestly? I really like classical jazz. You don't need words to tell the story. I know everyone expects me to like punk rock or heavy metal or something, but I-"

"No, no," Will was looking at the road, but he was smiling wide. "Now that you've said it, I can picture it.

Nico was surprised. "Really? You- you're not shocked or anything?"

Will's smile turned a little confused. "No?"

Nico sat back in the passenger seat and looked out the window. After a moment, he spoke. "What kind of music do you like?"

"Hmmm. That's a hard question. A lot of my siblings and my dad all possess some type of musical ability, and they all like different genres. I myself have no musical talent _at all_ , but I'd have to say my favorite genre is alternative rock. I like all genres- and I mean _all_ genres- but alternative rock is probably my favorite."

The rest of the ride was filled with a comfortable silence, broken only by Nico occasionally giving Will directions. Soon they arrived at Nico's house.

Will let out a low whistle. "Dang, this place is _huge_."

"Yeah," Nico responded glumly. "It is."

Will tilted his head slightly, still looking at the mansion in front of him. "It's too big," Will seemed to decide. "Too big, too cold, and too lonely. Am I right?"

Nico blinked in mild surprise. "I'd say so."

"Then there's only one solution!" Will turned to Nico again, a small smirk beginning to grace his lips. "We have to hang more! Can't have you spending all your free time cooped up in a place so lonely, now, can we?"

The corner of Nico's mouth started to curve upward into a small, lopsided smile. "No, we can't,"

"I'm glad you agree. I'll text you tonight, okay? Until then, you're to rest. Doctor's orders."

"Oh, you're my doctor now, are you?"

"Well, someone has to make sure you don't drop dead. Now, go. Rest."

Still smiling, Nico got out of Will's car. Before he closed the door, he turned to Will and said, "Hey, Will? Thanks for everything."

Will's smile stayed with Nico the rest of the day, and well into the night. "My pleasure, Nico."

 **A/N: Leo will make a reappearance. The other Seven will come into play, too. I'd like to clarify that Will does not know that Nico is gay, nor does he suspect it. He only finds Nico's strong reaction unusual. Leave a review if there are any questions you want Nico to ask Will, or vice versa. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot and a few original characters.**

 **Warning: A couple punches are thrown. Very mild language.**

Life with Persephone was...unpleasant. Nico scarcely had any free time, not with all the errands she had him run. Honestly, he didn't know why she wanted him to pull weeds from her garden. Didn't she know that he'd pull up the flowers instead? Really, that one was on Persephone.

Needless to say, Nico didn't do _everything_ his stepmother asked of him. Sure, he swept the floor for her and even mopped it, but when she asked him to wash all the windows, inside _and_ outside, he texted Will and made plans to meet up at the cafe. Then he got on his motorcycle and drove off, smirking slightly when he heard Persephone's indignant shriek.

The cafe had become their regular meeting place. There was hardly anyone there, ever. The staff had become accustomed to their presence, glancing up and handing them their regular orders when they came in and then ignoring them for the rest of their stay. Sure, it wasn't great customer service, but Nico honestly preferred it that way.

Nico arrived before Will. The girl at the counter glanced up from her phone and, upon seeing him, got together their orders. She handed Nico his chai tea and Will's fruit smoothie. Then she went back to her phone.

Nico made his way over to the table he and Will had sat at that first day. He kept thinking of questions to ask Will. He had lots of questions, sure, but he wasn't sure if they were too personal or not. How was he supposed to know? Nico had never been good with people, and that was an understatement. He didn't want to scare Will away. _Anything_ but that. But he wanted to more personal questions. Nico groaned in frustration. Why were people so _hard_?

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Will," Nico greeted.

Will walked around the table and sat down across from him. He grabbed his smoothie and took a long sip. "What's eating you?"

"Life," Nico muttered, not expecting Will to hear him. But of course he did.

He laughed. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. I feel that way sometimes, too. But what specifically?"

Nico pondered for a moment. Should he tell Will? It was alarming to think about how much he had opened up to Will over the past few weeks, how much he trusted Will already. But Nico still wasn't sure he was ready to talk about his home life. But then again, Nico trusted Will. He trusted him more than he had trusted anyone in a really, really long time. Should he- _could_ he- open up? Just a little? Maybe today he would try. Maybe today he could be a little braver. Because what he was doing now, he realised, was not making him stronger. Pushing himself away from people, keeping everything to himself, that wasn't protecting him or the people he shut out. It was hurting him. It was hurting the people he wanted to protect. What he was doing was...cowardly. He thought of how Will wasn't ashamed of his sexuality, how he let people know who he was- even though he knew some of them would judge him and even loathe him for it. Nico couldn't be that open about himself, at least not now. But he wanted to be. He wanted to be as free as Will seemed. He wanted to accept himself so badly. And while he couldn't reveal that part of himself quite yet, he could take a step in that direction. He could trust Will. He could. Will wouldn't judge him.

"I...Can we do the questions a little differently this time?"

Will's eyebrows shot up, but he nodded. "Sure."

Nico took a deep breath. "This time...I'll ask one question at the end. You can ask me anything _you_ want."

Will stared at him, shock and- awe?- written on his face. _Why awe?_ Nico thought. Then Will seemed to snap out of it. He gazed at Nico with a soft smile, eyes encouraging and sort of...fond.

Then his smile widened. "Let's start simple. Any siblings?"

Nico snorted. "Dork," he said. "Stealing my lines,"

Will laughed. "Hey, answer the question."

Nico readied himself. He didn't talk about his sisters much. It was a hard topic for Nico, but he expected this to come up. Will didn't know this was difficult for Nico. But he would talk about them now. He could do this. _Don't be weak, di Angelo._ "I have a half-sister named Hazel. She lives in California with her boyfriend and his family. You remind me of her, a little. Kind and supportive. Accepting. She and I look nothing alike, you can't tell we're related. Look," He took out his phone and unlocked it. He leaned across the table and showed Will his favorite picture of Hazel. She was sitting on old bench in New Orleans. She was wearing a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, white washed jeans, and brown Ugg boots. She looked so relaxed, so beautiful. The sun illuminated her cinnamon hair, caused her dark skin to glow. She was smiling her wonderful smile, comforting and sincere. Hazel's golden eyes were alight with joy. He looked at the picture fondly. He loved Hazel. If only she had stayed, things might be different. But he didn't hold it against her. He would have left too. If that mansion hadn't held so many memories of his mother and sister, if he could find it in himself to leave his father, then he would be gone, too. But he was happy Hazel was happy.

"She's lovely," Will breathed next to him.

"Yeah," Nico murmured. "She is. My dad went on a business trip once and she was the result. My mother...was very forgiving when she found out. Hazel came to live with the four of us after her mother died."

"The four of you?"

"I had an older sister. Bianca. She- she and my mother died." Nico felt Will's hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me," he whispered.

"No, it's okay. I want to tell you. It's high time I talked about it with someone. My mother and Bianca died in a car crash when I was ten. Hazel was nine. Bianca was twelve. She, my mother, and I were going to the store. Nowhere special, to do nothing special. We had just run out of eggs at home. A drunk driver ran into us. He hit the driver side of the car. My mother died instantly. But Bianca and I were injured, Bianca very severely. When the car had collided into us, our car went over the side of the road and rolled into a ditch. Bianca had a serious head injury and the shrapnel had cut her up badly, especially across her chest and face. One of her arms was dislocated. I had a cut across my forehead, and one of my legs was broken. I could have moved if I had tried, I could have called someone, but I didn't. I was too afraid. I was too _weak_. Those moments were the difference between life and death for Bianca. She was losing blood steadily. I could have done something- I _should_ have done something. Pressed something against the gashes, anything I could. But I didn't. And she died. Her last words to me were, 'Shhh, soldatino. It will be okay.' She called me a soldier. I've tried to fight for her. But she was wrong. Nothing was okay after that. It's so damn hard, Will." Nico hadn't realised it, but tears were streaming down his face. He took a shuddering breath and continued. "I was so mad at my father when he remarried. It had been two years, but it still felt like it had happened yesterday. I hated Persephone, and Persephone hated me and Hazel. We reminded her of Hades' past lovers. Hazel hated living there. When her boyfriend offered to let her stay with him and his family, she jumped at the opportunity.

"She felt guilty about leaving me, but I told her that I'd be fine. Persephone was glad to see her gone, and my father was indifferent about the whole thing. That just made her want to leave more, naturally. I'd leave too, if I had a place to go. Frank, Hazel's boyfriend, offered me a room too, but I refused. I didn't want to be a burden. I also didn't want to get close to anyone. I think that a part of me felt like it was a good thing she was leaving. That way it would be easier to lie to her about things; it would be easier to distance myself if I didn't have to see it in her eyes that she trusted me. She used to call me frequently, but I started declining her calls. I stopped responding to her texts. It was my fault one sister died; I won't be the cause of her death too."

"Oh, Nico." Nico looked at Will. There were tears in his cerulean eyes. He wrapped his arms around Nico, and Nico felt himself melt into the embrace. He buried his face into Will's shoulder, and Will's hand found the back of Nico's head. His fingers gently stroked through his hair. Had it been anyone else, Nico would have felt really uncomfortable and defensive. But it was Will, and he wasn't.

"Nico, what happened to Bianca was not your fault. You were not weak that day. You were ten years old and you were in a car crash. You were in shock. That's perfectly natural. You can't blame yourself for their deaths. You weren't at fault. At all."

"But it should have been me," Nico whispered, the horrible truth that he had kept inside so long finally making its way into the open. Nico glanced at the girl behind the counter and was glad to find she was completely oblivious to the scene playing out in the back corner.

"No. No, it should not have been you. Never, _ever_ say that. Someone told you that, didn't they?" Will didn't wait for a response. He gripped Nico tighter and spoke fiercely. "They are so wrong, Nico. Whatever other messed up things they said about you, none of them are true. I know how words can get in your head. I know that, coming from certain people, those words feel like the truth. How could they not? But Nico, I promise you that it was not your fault, and you shouldn't have died instead of them. I'm very happy that you lived, Nico. And lots of other people are too. Your cousins, for starters."

Nico had stopped crying. He pulled back from Will's warm embrace and told him what he had done to his cousins, what he had said to them to get them to hate him enough to ignore him. "I used their insecurities to hurt them, Will. They'll never forgive me."

"You did that to try to make yourself stronger, right? More invincible. You wanted to protect them from what had happened to your mother and sister. You didn't want a reason to be blamed for their deaths or misfortunes. If you tell them that, I'm sure they'd forgive you. People can be very forgiving, especially when they _want_ to be. And your cousins want to fix everything that happened between you guys. I'm certain of it."

"How do I start, Will? What am I supposed to do?"

"What's your father and stepmother like?"

Nico was confused by the question, but he scrunched up his nose and answered anyway. "Horrible. My father is the one who told me...you know. He mostly ignores me. My stepmother hates me, though I'm not really subtle about my dislike for her, either. It's just Persephone and me in the house right now, and I had to get away. That's why I texted you originally. She could be worse, but she's stifling. She's nosy and strict and disapproving. She's one of those women who looks at everything with disdain. She tried to confine me to the house. So I left."

"Best not to try and reconnect with them, then."

"No way,"

Will looked thoughtful for a minute. "Why don't you start by calling Hazel? You spoke so highly of her, and if what you said is true she'll probably be overjoyed that you called. I bet you'll be forgiven in a heartbeat, and it's through the phone, so you won't have to look at her face."

Nico nodded slowly. It seemed like a good place to start- but that didn't make it any easier. "I'll call her sometime this week."

"Don't forget to tell her about your arrhythmia. I have a feeling she'll want to know."

Nico paled. "I don't think so. She'd probably book the next flight to New York."

Will laughed. "Still, you should tell her. Don't want her to find out through someone else or by witnessing it, now, do we?"

Nico sighed. "I guess you're right."

Their conversation shifted to lighter topics. Nico felt more at ease than he had in years. Being with Will- it made him a better person. It felt so natural and _right_ to be with Will. The thought both terrified him and made him feel...happy. It was wonderful.

"Hello, Willie-boy."

Will froze. He slowly turned around in his chair. Confused, Nico followed his gaze to a skinny guy who looked nineteen. He had pale blonde hair and eyes such a pale blue they were almost colorless. He wore a sneer that did nothing to improve his looks.

Without responding, Will turned back around in his seat and stared at the table, all traces of happiness gone from his face. He had that look he had gotten in the hospital room when Percy snapped at him. It made Nico immediately loathe whoever this guy was.

"Aw, aren't you going to say hi to me, Will? I thought you were better than that. Come on, I'm your _brother_." Nico's eyes shot to Will, who wouldn't look at him. "Will, Will, Will. It's been so long. Surely you have something you'd like to say to me. But then again, you never were very strong, were you Will? No, you always hide. You put up a brave face, sure, but it's so very _easy_ to see past you. You act like you're good enough, but you're not. You can't even _love_ the right gender." Nico slammed his hands on the table, starting to stand up, but Will's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Will met his eyes and shook his head at Nico. Nico started to protest, but the guy cut him off.

"Oh, Willie, are you on a date?" The guy's eyes were lit up with sadistic amusement.

"No," Will whispered, eyes back on the table, but his hand still gripping Nico's wrist.

The guy's eyes found the ace bandage on Will's wrist. Will had a nervous habit of wrapping and unwrapping it around his wrist. Will's _brother_ smiled a predatory smile. "Still want to become a doctor, do you? You know, Father is right. You're not smart enough to follow that career path, Willie."

Nico shot to his feet. "Who the hell do you think you are? What's he ever done to you?"

The guy sneered. "The freak exists, that's enough."

"You didn't answer me. Who are you? Will sure hasn't mentioned a rat like you before."

"Willie, I'm hurt. You haven't told your boyfriend about me? And here I was thinking we had something. What would Lee and Michael say?"

Will tensed. "We'll never know," he whispered. "And Nico's not my boyfriend, Octavian. He isn't gay."

Nico felt like he had lied to Will, but he hadn't. Right? He just hadn't told him the truth.

"Aw, my poor little brother. The freak, the disgrace...can't even find someone to love him. Or even like him. Your mother was lucky enough to get rid of you. If only the rest of us could do the same."

Before Nico could punch the guy (and his fist was pulled back to do just that), the door to the cafe slammed open and Jason ran in. He studied the scene before him: Nico about to punch this _Octavian_ character, Will's tense form at the table, and Octavian's patronizing sneer. Jason looked absolutely livid. He stalked over to their table and got up in Will's brother's face.

"Why are you here?" Jason said through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"

Octavian smirked at Jason. "I'm just checking in on family," he said, gesturing to Will.

Jason looked at Will, who wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. "Are you related to him?" Jason inquired.

Will's whole expression darkened even more. "Yes."

"How?"

"Half-brother."

"He insults you, doesn't he." Jason didn't phrase it as a question.

Will's silence spoke for itself.

Jason turned back to Octavian, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, and said, "Leave town, and don't come back."

Octavian sneered. "Sorry, _Grace,_ but I have every right to be here. I'm visiting family. And Willie-" here he leaned over and wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders. "-is family."

Nico couldn't take it anymore. He punched Octavian in the jaw, who let out a shrill shriek. " _Don't you dare touch him!_ " Nico hissed.

Jason looked like he was about to punch Octavian, too, but before he could, Will cut in. "Don't. He's not worth it."

Nico didn't understand Will's unwillingness to defend himself from this jerk. "But, _Will_ -"

"No, Nico." Will said. "Don't listen to him. He's a sadist who feeds off other's pain. Don't give him any attention."

Nico could hear his pulse in his ears. He was about to land another punch anyway, but Jason beat him to it. "Maybe you don't want us helping you, Will," Jason growled, "But I have a bone to pick with him, too."

Nico's eyes widened in shock. Jason knew Octavian? Personally? Will seemed surprised too, because he gaped at Jason. "You...What did Octavian do to _you_?"

"He tried to get inside my head. Tried to convince me that certain things would bring me glory. He used me to rise above himself. I finally realised how messed up he was and exposed him."

Octavian glowered. "And you'll pay it, Grace. I know your weaknesses. I know _everyone's_ weaknesses." His gaze landed on his brother. He continued softly. " _Don't_ I, Willie?"

Will was quiet.

"I have to go pay respects to my other siblings. And my father. Come on, Willie."

"He's not going with you," Nico growled.

"Oh, but he has to. You see, his truck broke down."

Will closed his eyes tightly.

"Oh, but that's not a problem," Nico said, mimicking Octavian's tone. "I can take him home."

Octavian looked miffed, but, having nothing to say, turned and headed out of the shop.

Nico noticed that the girl behind the counter was still on her phone. Talk about addiction.

Will still hadn't moved. His face had paled during Octavian's little speech, and he had hardly looked up from the table. Nico wanted him to smile again so _badly_. He wished he could go back in time and make it so that Octavian never came into the cafe.

"When you were talking about your siblings, you never mentioned him." Nico didn't care that Jason was there. He felt angry, and even a little hurt. Did Will not trust him? Gosh, Nico had just spilled his life story to the guy. What if it was a mistake? What if-

"I didn't think it was important. Octavian went to college. I didn't think he'd come back here. He's always saying that he doesn't like it in New York. I think he dislikes how people here think for themselves. He wants to hold some kind of position of power; he needs people who will follow him blindly. He couldn't find that here. I hate Octavian. I didn't want you to know about him. I hate saying that I'm related to that jerk. People always look at me like they do him, like they expect me to double cross them or insult them like he does."

Nico- surprising himself, Will, and Jason- reached out a hand and placed it on Will's shoulder in a way that he hoped was comforting. "I know you're not him. Jason knows you're not him. I'm sure that that girl and guy you always hang out with- you know, dark hair, green eyes, kinda reminds you of Thalia, and the brown haired guy who looks like he just stole something?- I'm sure they know you're not that rat, either."

Will cracked a small smile, and skeletal butterflies appeared in Nico's stomach. "Lou Ellen and Cecil? Yeah, they're pretty great. Lou will be delighted to hear you compared her to Thalia. And Cecil probably did steal something, actually."

Jason looked at Nico from behind Will. He looked like he was on the verge of figuring out the last piece of a puzzle. Nico didn't like it.

"So, Will," Jason began. "You have to live in the same house as Octavian for how long?"

Will exhaled loudly. "I don't know, a couple weeks? I'll probably volunteer at the hospital after school."

Jason looked thoughtful. "Didn't he say something about your car?"

Will groaned. "I forgot all about that! It's probably not that bad, though. He probably let all the air out of the tires or something. He wouldn't do anything too drastic; he knows I'd call the cops if he did. But if he lets all the air out of the tires, I'll have no proof that it was him."

"So basically," Jason mused. "You don't have a car and your house isn't a good environment at the moment. You could even say it's not safe."

Will looked very confused and slightly uncomfortable. "I guess?"

Jason took out his phone and texted someone. Will and Nico shared a confused glance. Then Jason put his phone away. "Will, you're coming to stay with me."

" _What?!_ " Will exclaimed, standing up. "No, no, no. I can't-"

"Oh, but you can." Jason told him, smiling a little. "You just don't want to burden anyone."

"No, I don't," Will agreed. "Which is why I can't-"

Jason held up a hand. "Will, you have just admitted that if you thought you wouldn't be burdening my family in the least, you would gladly come and stay with us. Not because your parents wouldn't allow it, not because you don't want to, but because you think it would inconvenience my family to have you stay. Which means that something in your home life is making you feel unwelcome or unwanted, and you need to get away from that atmosphere as soon as possible. Thalia, my dad, and my mom are all okay with it, and we're well off, so you wouldn't be inconveniencing anyone at all. So, yeah, I think it would be in your best interests to come and live with me for the next few weeks."

Will and Nico's mouths were hanging open. Nico could not believe Jason had just said that. If he was wrong, that would be _extremely_ offensive.

Jason's expression softened. "We won't ask questions, Will. You don't have to talk to any of us if you don't want to. We just want to get you away from things that will hurt you. And I know they hurt, Will."

Will looked unsure, but he slowly nodded.

Nico looked at his friend. "I can come and visit, if you like. Daily."

Will smiled a broken, but grateful smile. "Thank you." Then he seemed to remember something, because his face crumbled. "I can't," he said.

Jason was about to protest, but Will spoke first. "My siblings. I can't leave them there. I'm sorry, Jason. I really appreciate it, but...they need me there. And don't even think about bringing them all to your place. My dad would never allow it. He might be okay with me being gone for a few weeks, but not my siblings."

Jason looked frustrated. "Well, how many siblings do you have?"

Before Will could answer, the cafe door opened _again_ and a group of people walked in. One was a girl with red hair and eyes the color of bluebells. She was holding the hand of a four year old girl with curly brown hair and pale blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. Next to them was a dark skinned guy who looked about fifteen. He had cornrows and chocolate brown eyes. Behind him was a girl of about ten with muddy green eyes and auburn hair. Next to her was a seven year old boy with hazel eyes and dark brown hair.

Upon seeing Will, the four year old gave a small shriek and launched herself at him. "Will!" she said, hugging him tightly.

"K-Kyra?" Will asked, looking shocked. He turned to the red haired girl, who Nico now noticed had a shock of green amongst the red. "Kayla, what's wrong?"

"The stupid, pig-headed, egotistical maniac is back." She informed Will.

"Yeah, I know."

The dark skinned guy turned to Kayla. "I _told_ you that was Will's truck!"

"Shut up, Austin," she snapped.

The hazel eyed boy stepped closer to Will. "Will, what do we _do_?"

Will was about to answer, but he was interrupted by the auburn haired girl bursting into tears.

"Monica," Will said, looking alarmed. "What's the matter?"

"I- I hate him," she sobbed, running to Will and burying her face in his shoulder. Nico realised he had done the same thing earlier that day. "He's so- so _mean_. He calls me names and pulls my hair, like Justin, but _harder_ -"

"Hey!" the seven year old cried, indignant. "I only pull your hair when you act like a know-it-all."

"The point is," Austin interrupted. "When is he gonna leave?"

Will sighed, looking defeated. "I'm sorry, guys. He's not gonna leave for a few weeks."

" _What_?!" Kayla shouted. "I can't possibly live in the same house as him for a few _weeks_! Will! He'll go through my phone again!"

"Set up a passcode and a fingerprint."

"But he'll figure the password out! He _always_ does!"

"Then change it every day so that when he does it won't work the next day."

"But a lot of damage could be done by then! I won't let him ruin my chances with Ellis."

Austin scoffed. "What chances? Anyway, _Will_. He'll mess up my saxophone. My YouTube career is at stake!"

Justin pouted. "He's gonna put all my baseballs in the gutter again. I can't reach them up there!"

Monica piped up. "He'll break all my sculptures, Will."

Kyra chimed in. "He'll tell scary stories before bed again, Will! Then he'll come in and scare me again!" The young girl looked like she was close to tears.

Jason looked lost, and that was how Nico felt. How must Will be feeling, with these people, his _siblings_ , all expecting him to magically fix their problems? Nico was suddenly grateful Hazel was so close in age to him, so she was able to take care of her problems herself.

Will must have seen Nico and Jason's bewilderment, because he said, "These are my siblings. Guys, this is Nico di Angelo and Jason Grace."

All of Will's siblings said 'hi' in perfect synchronicity. Jason and Nico each muttered a greeting. Will was bombarded with questions again.

"Woah, woah. Guys. I can't do anything about Octavian. You're just going to have try and deal with him for a couple of weeks. Then he'll be gone again."

"C'mon, Will," Austin complained. "There's gotta be something you can do to make him leave us alone."

"Please, Will." Kayla begged.

Will sighed guiltily. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

Justin protested. "But Lee and Michael made him leave us alone! Why can't you?"

Will tensed. "Justin!" Kayla scolded.

Will knelt down beside his brother. "I'm not Lee or Michael," he said softly. Nico suddenly felt like he was intruding. "Look, I miss them, too. But we can't get them back. Octavian is a jerk. But he'll be gone soon, okay? Until then we just have to stick together. He'll get bored if we pretend what he does doesn't bother us. Maybe he'll even leave sooner."

"Okay," Justin grumbled.

Will nodded. "Good." Turning to Kayla and Austin, he said, "Take them all outside and wait by my car. I'll be there in a minute." Will's siblings nodded and left.

"I'm sorry about them," Will said to Jason and Nico. "They all hate Octavian as much as I do. They don't like the idea of having him back in the house."

"Don't apologize," Nico said. Then he added, "You're a good brother."

Will smiled sadly. "I try,"

"There's gotta be _something_ we can do," Jason muttered. "I won't leave you alone with that jerk, especially not when you have to take care of all your siblings."

"I'll be fine," Will assured him.

Jason studied Will. "After Octavian leaves, you're coming to stay with my family."

Will stared at him, confused. "What?"

"I can tell that you need to get away from your place. If you won't come live with me for a few weeks, at least live with someone else. You need a break, Will."

Will didn't look convinced. "I'll think about it,"

Jason nodded. "I'll drive your siblings home in my car, since Octavian messed up yours."

Will thanked him and gave him an address. Jason turned and walked toward the exit, but not before turning to smirk at Nico.

"I'll drive you home when you're ready," Nico told Will.

Will looked at Nico gratefully. Then he sighed. "I bet you have questions. Ask any that you want."

Nico wasted no time. "What about your dad?"

Thankfully, Will seemed to understand. "He works crazy hours at the hospital. When he is home, he criticizes…" Will trailed off.

"You?" Nico supplied.

Will sighed. "Yeah. He's a neurologist- he thinks his field is the most important. He holds really high standards- anything below a ninety-five is unacceptable. It makes school that much harder. He's fine with the fact that I'm gay, but he doesn't like how I don't flaunt it. Says that there are plenty of people who hide their sexuality, that I should 'show my pride.' I'm perfectly happy being gay," Will added quickly. "I just don't want people to only think of that when they see me. Every mistake is magnified with him. It just gets tiring, trying your best to do well and impress people, to live up to their standards- to only have them point out what you could have done better."

Nico frowned. "What about your siblings? Do they just stand by and let you take it?"

"Oh, no. If they knew, I'm sure Kayla and Austin would have exploded by now. None of them are around when this happens. They try. My two older brothers, Lee and Michael, died a couple years ago. We're all still trying to get over it. They held us all together as a family. Losing them both was rough. Coping without them is even harder."

"...How?"

"Car accident. Justin's baseball landed in this busy street by our house one day and Michael went to go and bring it back to him. Then out of nowhere this car came speeding toward him. Lee ran into the street to push him out of the way, but...it hit him, too. We found out later that the guy was drunk."

Nico went over to Will and sa beside him. He wrapped his arms around him. This time, Will's face was buried in Nico's shoulder, and Nico was stroking the back of Will's head. "You're enough," Nico whispered to him. "I promise, Will, you're enough." Will gripped him tighter. "Lee and Michael would be proud of you, Will. You _are_ holding your family together."

"My mother didn't want me," Came Will's whisper, barely audible. "She doesn't bother to call. I've never once seen her or spoken to her. I know next to nothing about her."

"She was an idiot, then." Nico whispered back. "She was stupid to not stay in touch. But you're strong, Will. Even with all the crap that's happened to you, you're still nice. You still care about other people. Will, you're the first person I've enjoyed being with for years. I find myself wanting to spend time with you, and I haven't spent time with someone willingly since I was ten. I swear, Will, you're enough."

"Thank you, Nico."

It was there, in that small cafe, with a teenage girl behind a counter texting someone on her phone, oblivious to the scene unfolding in the back corner, that Nico di Angelo realised something that would change his life forever.

Nico di Angelo cared deeply about Will Solace.

No, it wasn't love, but it could become that. And Nico didn't mind it all that much.

 **A/N: Thank you for the question suggestions. They really helped me transition into these topics. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Romance will start to develop soon, and Drew will make a reappearance. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Will had put up a fight when he realised that he would be riding home on Nico's motorcycle.

"I'm not getting on that thing!"

"Yes, you are, Solace."

"Do you have any idea how many people die when they get in an accident on a motorcycle?"

"No, but I have no doubt that you'll tell me."

"Darn right I will. Thirty times more than people in cars! You're riding a death trap!"

"I _have_ a helmet."

Will looked triumphant for a moment. "Yeah, _you_ do. I'm not getting on that thing without a helmet, and I'm not letting you drive it without a helmet, either."

So Nico handed him the spare helmet he always had with him. He grinned at Will. "Here you go," Nico laughed when the victorious expression slid off Will's face. Reluctantly, Will put on the helmet.

Nico climbed onto the motorcycle. "Get on, Will."

Will climbed on behind Nico. Hesitantly, Will put his hands around Nico's waist. "A little tighter, Will. Don't want you to fall off."

Grumbling, Will obliged. "You'll stay within the speed limit, right?" he begged.

Nico laughed. "Sure, Sunshine." Will gave him his address, and Nico drove off.

* * *

It was very late when Nico arrived back at the mansion. He went inside quietly, hoping not to disturb anyone. He had made it all the way to the door of his room when he heard someone call his name.

"Nico,"

He turned around. "Persephone," he acknowledged.

She looked very unsure, very uncertain. It was odd; usually she was cool and confident. "Nico, are- are you okay?"

Nico furrowed his eyebrows. "...Yes?" he said slowly.

A look of pure relief crossed her features. "Good. Good."

Nico put his hand on the doorknob that led to his room, but then took it back off and looked at Persephone. "Are _you_ okay?"

She gave him a small smile. "Yes. I just- have you seen the news today?"

Nico was sure she could she on his face just how crazy he thought she was. "No, I haven't."

"Come in here, then, just for a moment,"

He followed Persephone into the room she shared with Hades. The TV was still on, and it was turned to the news. The headline read:

 _ **THREE TEENS SEVERELY INJURED IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT. TWO UNIDENTIFIED.**_

"They haven't shown the drivers," she whispered. "I was afraid you were involved. I know you took your motorcycle to wherever-it-is you went today."

Nico tore his gaze from the TV and stared at his stepmother. "You...thought I was in an accident?"

"It's not that I don't think you're a capable driver," She said quickly. "I was just concerned that-"

"I thought you hated me!" Nico interrupted.

Persephone stared at him. "No," she said, so quietly that he could barely hear her. "No, I don't hate you, Nico. I-" She sighed. "You and I are alike in the aspect that we don't like people getting too close. I know that you feel like I'm some sort of replacement for your mother and sister-" Nico winced. Even now, mentions of them burned like fire. "-but I really do love Hades, and I know he loves me. He's the only one who's ever tried to get closer to me, who hasn't been deterred by my apathetic attitude. I've been afraid to let you close, Nico." She walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're both stubborn. When you gave me that...ah…. _passionate_ bouquet, I accepted you as a worthy adversary. I thought that since you were determined to keep yourself distanced from me, I would be able to distance myself from you with ease. We both use coldness as a shield. And I think that we both subconsciously used that to protect ourselves from each other. And I'll admit, for a long time you were a reminder of Hades' life before me. And I was jealous. But you've become an important part of my life since then. And when I saw the news tonight…" She screwed her eyes shut. "I was so afraid."

"But my- my arrhythmia." It was the first time Nico had verbally acknowledged the condition. "You told me to try not to land myself in the hospital so you wouldn't have to pay the bill."

She looked ashamed. "I'm a messy person, Nico." She whispered. "That was my way of trying to tell you to be careful. I grew up in an environment where showing affection for someone was a weakness."

"It is," Nico replied without thinking.

Her eyes widened and filled with tears at his statement. She actually took his face in her hands, forcing Nico to meet her eyes. "No," her words were filled with sincerity and sadness. "It's not. Please listen to me, Nico. I won't have you make the same mistake I did. Loving someone, caring about someone, it doesn't ever affect you negatively. Loving makes you stronger. There's strength in numbers, right? If you have people who love you, and you love them, then you're stronger than you would be on your own."

Nico's eyes started watering, to his frustration. "It's so damn hard," he whispered. "Letting people in. L-loving."

"I know. Believe me, I know. But trust me when I say it's worth it. Every fight, every tear, every struggle...When you have someone to stand by you, who'll help you and care for you no matter how messed up you are, it makes everything worth it."

"I'm too messed up," he murmured, not meaning for Persephone to hear it.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't ever think that. Never. We're all broken, Nico. We all need help. Even the person with the sunniest smile is full of cracks."

Nico thought of Will, and how happy he always seemed. Until Percy had yelled at him in a moment of anger. Until Octavian.

"Nico, promise me that you'll try to open up more. To just one person. Promise me that you'll make an effort to love someone. That person will not be your weakness, Nico. They'll be your strength."

The dam broke. Nico didn't understand why he was crying. He hadn't cried in years. It was amazing how quickly you could go from hating someone to liking them- to needing them. He didn't love Persephone, but he could let her be a part of his life. He could try to depend on her. But she was asking a lot of him. Opening up to people was one thing. So was making friends. But making an effort to love someone, to let them love _him_? That was hard. That was terrifying.

He thought about Will, about how he thought just that afternoon that he could love him. Will was a guy. Not a girl. Nico was gay. Trying to love someone would mean showing _everyone_ his sexuality. Some people saw homosexuality as a sin. As something disgusting. Something that needed to be fixed. Nico needed to be fixed for so many reasons, but he couldn't deal with the idea of someone trying to fix how he loved.

He panicked. "I- I can't,"

She looked devastated. "Why, Nico? Why not?"

Something in him snapped. "I'm gay!"

She pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes. Her hazel eyes bore into his obsidian ones. "That is okay. That changes nothing-"

"But it does," Nico whispered. "People try to- to _fix_ people like me. They think I'll end up in Hell. I can't control how I feel, Persephone. Loving is dangerous."

She took his face in her hands again. "You're right; loving is dangerous. It's dangerous letting people love _you_ ; you never know who will get hurt. But when you choose the right person- no, when the right person enters your heart- and they _will_ , Nico, inevitably- then you won't be hurt at all; you'll be healed. I promise love makes life worth living. But you have to be willing to try, not matter the consequences."

Nico smiled wryly. "How do you know I'm not aromantic?"

Persephone looked at him. "Well, you just said you were gay, and I can also see it in your eyes. You crave love, Nico, but you're terrified of it."

 _And that_ , Nico thought, _is the horrible truth._

"Why the sudden heart-to-heart?" he inquired instead of verbally acknowledging that truth.

"Honestly?" Persephone laughed softly. "I have no idea. Maybe I don't want you to feel like you can't be loved, maybe I don't want you to be as lonely as I was, maybe the exhaustion is getting to me. We don't know why some things happen- all we know is that they are happening. And perhaps that's what makes life exciting, makes it all feel rewarding in the end. Because we took what happened to us and made something of it, whether that thing happened to be good or bad. We control the repercussions of our life, and we get to wonder _why_ along the way."

"You seem strangely wise tonight."

"I feel as though I've lived for eons. Who knows, maybe I have."

Nico swallowed. "What...did you go through?" He continued quickly. "I mean, you speak so surely about this-"

Persephone cut him off. "I don't mind you asking. It's good to ask people questions, by the way." She looked at him like she knew all his doubts about asking people about themselves. "In college I was in this relationship with this guy. Long story short, I fell hard for him. He dumped me the second I told him I loved him. I won't waste your time telling you how much that hurt. I was heartbroken. I tried asking for help, but, as you know, my mother isn't the most sympathetic creature, and my father has been out of the picture for a long time. I shut down. Friends left, people stopped asking me if they could help. I can't blame them. It's hard to take care of someone who keeps pushing you away. The point is- I felt worthless.I was rejected the second I let someone get close to my heart. I started doing what you do, Nico, and what I still do. I was cold. I knew people would stop trying, and they did. But then your father came along. He kept persisting. He found a way through my defenses and, as cliche as it sounds, I have no idea how he did it. We fell in love. This time I wasn't rejected, and it developed into something beautiful. Letting him love me was the best decision I ever made.

"Then I met you. I admit, at first you and Hazel made me feel bitter. It reminded me that Hades had loved two other women enough to have children with them, and I felt like a replacement, or a substitution, especially since I've decided never to have kids. But I still loved Hades, and I knew he loved me. But old habits die hard. I've been trying to avoid rejection by keeping you and Hazel as far from me as possible. But I thought you had gotten hurt tonight. _Very_ hurt. Nico, I was so, _so_ scared. It's never occurred to me that I could lose you so suddenly. I thought I could ease you into my life- I never thought about my role in _your_ life. And I realized how I must have seemed. I- I am so sorry, Nico."

Nico thought of all the things this woman had been through. He thought of all the things she'd done to him, what she'd made him feel. But he also realized that this was her defense mechanism- one that was very similar to his own. He could understand. And, surprisingly, he could forgive. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around his stepmother. "I'm sorry, too."

They weren't perfect. Far from it, in fact. Recovery was a long process. But they could start it together.

* * *

Nico ran into Will the at school the following week. He walked up to him and they started talking. Nico realized how easy it was to talk to Will. He found himself telling him all about what had happened with Persephone (well, the key points. Meaning that they had made peace with each other.), and how he was planning to call Hazel later that day. Will had positively _beamed_ at him. There was still something Nico wanted desperately to know, but he wasn't sure how much Will would be willing to tell him. Then he thought about what Persephone had said, that it was okay to ask people questions. So decided to go for it.

"So...how did everything go with Octavian?"

Will sighed. "He's so immature. He's constantly complaining about everything, and he does stuff to try and get a reaction out of people. Honestly, I don't know how he convinces people to let him lead them. His only reasons for doing anything are that he doesn't like someone, so neither should anyone else, or that it will somehow save everyone. From what, I have no idea. If he was in a government position, I'm pretty sure he'd already be assassinated."

Nico barked out a laugh, and Will smiled back at him. Then Nico composed himself and said, "You didn't answer my question, though. How's he been treating you guys?"

Will was quiet for a minute, and then he spoke. "He's been...decent? I mean, it's by no means even remotely nice living with him, but he could be worse. It's just insult after insult with him, and it's getting old very quickly."

Nico clenched his fists in frustration. "I wish I could get you out of there. You don't deserve any of what he tells you, Will. I-"

Will stopped walking and put a hand on Nico's arm. "It's okay, Nico. I'm used to it. Besides, he'll be gone-"

Nico snapped back. "It's not okay! You shouldn't be used to it! Will, you shouldn't have to count down the days until your _brother_ leaves, and you shouldn't have to take care of your siblings, either." Nico couldn't leave Will to fend for five people, plus himself. But what could he do? Not much. "You should...we could-"

"Nico, it's okay. I can survive Octavian Aeron. Now, how are you feeling? Not lightheaded, or anything?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "My heart is fine right now, Sunshine." _Especially since you're here_.

"Nico di Angelo!"

Nico and Will both froze. Drew grabbed Nico's arm and yanked on it so that he was facing her.

"You've been avoiding me," she hissed. "Need I remind you of our deal, di Angelo?"

"No," Nico whispered.

"Where have you been?"

"Around."

"That's not an answer and you know it."

"I was recovering from that fight with Luke."

She glared at him. "Walk me to class." And she forcefully joined their hands, dragging him to her first period class.

"Bye, Will."

"Bye, Nico."

* * *

"I'm not happy _at all_ , Nico."

"I know. But I really was recovering."

"Hold up your side of the deal, Nico, or get exposed."

He let go of her hand. "I'm starting to wonder if 'being exposed' is such a bad thing."

She whipped around faster than the strike of a rattlesnake. "Really? You know, I know things that lots of people in this school would like to be kept secret. Percy Jackson's crush on nerdy Annabeth Chase, for instance. Jason Grace's feelings for Piper McLean-"

"They could recover from that-"

"Will Solace's father's comments. Will's dead brothers, how their death was _his_ fault. Octavian Aeron and Will. Will Solace's _crush_."

Nico was silent. "You don't know what you're talking about," he finally whispered.

She smirked. "Oh, but I do. And soon the whole school will know. Unless you hold up your side of our bargain."

"Why are you bringing Will into this? He's done nothing to you."

Drew snorted. "This isn't some game, honey. This is real life, and I don't need a reason to bring anyone into anything. If I need to, then I will. Now, what's your choice?"

Nico laced their fingers back together.

Drew smiled. "Good."

* * *

Nico had been keeping Drew close to him all day. It was exhausting. He had draped his arm over her shoulders, had walked he to class, had carried her textbooks, had spoon fed her at lunch, and had even _kissed her on the cheek._ He promised himself he would use mouthwash as soon as he got home.

Nico kept reminding himself that this was all for Will. That boy had done so much for Nico, even though he was going through so much, that this was the least Nico could do to repay him.

His phone vibrated. Nico fished it out of his pocket and unlocked it. It was a text from Will.

 **From: Sunshine**

 **Can you meet me after school today? At the town park?**

Nico quickly typed back his reply.

 **To: Sunshine**

 **Sure.**

Nico even let Persephone know where he was going. This whole caring thing was getting easier.

"Nico, right?"

Nico turned around and was face to face with a grey-eyed girl with curly blonde hair. "Uh, yeah?"

She stuck out her hand. "I'm Annabeth Chase."

He shoot the offered hand. "Nico di Angelo."

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot,"

"You know Percy Jackson, right? I mean, on a personal level."

"...Yes?"

She looked slightly embarrassed, and her cheeks flushed just the tiniest bit. "It's just- I was wondering if...you could tell me just a little about him? Just enough so that I know he's not some conceited jerk like Luke was."

"Wait," Nico said. "You dated Luke?" How revolting.

Annabeth blushed. "I went on a total of three dates with him. Worst mistake of my life."

Nico raised his eyebrows, but he didn't comment on her evidently poor judgement. "Well, Percy is nothing like Luke. I guess the main thing to know about Percy is that he's loyal to a fault." Here Nico looked Annabeth dead in the eye. "So don't let me hear that you played around with him, got it?"

Annabeth looked offended. "I would never!"

Nico looked at her, unimpressed. "If anything, it's easier to lie to someone than to tell them the truth."

Annabeth stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right." Then she added quietly, "Has…has anyone ever messed with him before?"

"It's not my place to tell."

"Of course. Sorry," she amended.

"Can I help you with anything else?"

"No, that's it. Thank you, Nico." Annabeth Chase walked away, blonde curls bouncing.

"Nico!"

Nico turned around to see Percy running toward him. When he caught up to Nico, he said, "What did she want? Did she mention me? Does she _like_ me? Does- does she know I like _her_?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "She was just asking me a question."

"Well, yeah, but what about?"

Nico grinned evilly. "I guess you'll never know."

Percy gaped at him. "Nico! That's not fair! Please, please tell me!"

He pretended to think about it. "No,"

"And here I was, thinking that my own cousin might actually love me."

"Well, I've tried telling you you're delusional."

"That burns, Nico. That burns."

Nico laughed and walked away. As he was passing by an adjacent hallway, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into said hallway. He kept getting pushed and pulled today. "What the-"

" _Shhhh_!" A hand was clapped over his mouth. The owner of the voice dragged him behind a set of lockers. A moment later he heard the click of high heels walking through the hallway he had just been in himself. Then he heard Drew's voice. _Close call,_ he thought.

The hand disappeared from his mouth. He turned around to see who his assaulter and/or rescuer was. His eyes fell on a Cherokee girl with kaleidoscope eyes. Her brown hair was cut unevenly, almost as if she had used a dull blade to hack the pieces off herself. It was braided, and in that braid was a yellow feather. Nico thought it contrasted with her skin nicely.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm Piper McLean," she told him. "I'd like to know what possessed you to date Drew Tanaka."

 _Straightforward_ , Nico thought. He could appreciate that.

"Nothing _possessed_ me. I liked her, so I started dating her."

Piper stared at him for a long time. Then she said, "I observe a lot of people, which is something I think you can relate to. And when you observe people, you really learn things about them. I've observed you, and I don't think you're the type to date someone like Drew."

"Just because you 'observe' people doesn't mean you instantly know everything about them."

"I didn't say that,"

"Yet you think it,"

She flushed. "Listen, di Angelo, I never claimed to know everything about anyone. I believe in judging a person only after you know them inside and out. I-"

"Then why did you automatically assume that I don't like Drew? I thought you had to know a person 'inside and out' first."

"To judge them as a person! But you _can_ make small little discoveries without knowing them."

"I should go."

"No, don't," She grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, okay? But I just want to know why you're dating her."

"I don't ask you about what guys _you're_ interested in. I ask that you do the same."

Piper huffed. "Why are you so curt and antisocial?"

Nico looked her dead in the eye and said, "Not all of us lead privileged lives, McLean. Different people have different ways to cope with...negative events. Or did your observations tell you otherwise?"

Piper glared at him. "That's not fair and you know it. I'm trying to learn more about you, Nico. All anyone knows about you are rumors."

"That's not true. There are people who know me, at least a little. Look, Piper, I don't trust easily. People hear things and they morph them into ugly rumors and lies. I don't like feeding gossip."

"But don't you want to prove the rumors false?"

"Honestly?" Nico asked. "I don't care. Can I help you with anything else, Piper?" He had meant it to be sarcastic, but she answered anyway.

"Yeah. Give this to Jason and tell him I'm tired of waiting around." She handed him a slip of paper.

Nico sighed. "Alright. I'm going to assume you mean Jason Grace." She nodded, and Nico left before she could say anything else.

* * *

Riding his motorcycle was grounding in the sense that it was so freeing. He felt connected because he felt like his problems and worries weren't attached to him anymore. The wind whipping at his face, the ease with which he wove between cars, even the biting cold of the air made him feel alive and content. It was Nico's favorite feeling in the world.

Nico arrived at the park and somewhat reluctantly dismounted his motorcycle. He looked around for Will, and soon saw him sitting against a tree trunk. Nico walked over and sat down next to him.

"Hey. What's up?"

Will smiled at him a little sadly. "I wanted to ask you that. Nico, in all honestly, are you okay? I mean, you don't have to tell me, but this whole Drew thing seems to be having a really negative affect-"

"I'll tell you," Nico said, surprising himself as much as Will. "I can't tell you all of it, but I can give you the general idea."

Will smiled at him, softly, warmly. His eyes were shining with a fondness that no one had looked at Nico with in a long time. In that moment, Nico decided that Will's eyes were the color of lapis lazuli. 'Cornflower' and 'cerulean' blue didn't convey how valuable Will's eyes could make someone feel. Yeah, Nico decided on lapis lazuli blue. "I'm listening,"

Nico swallowed, then began. "You know that I want to keep the arrhythmia a secret,"

Will nodded. "I do, but I don't understand why."

Nico's eyes bore into Will's. "Please try to understand," he begged. "I can't have a weakness. People exploit weaknesses and then use them to their advantage. Which is what Drew is doing-"

Will sat bolt upright. "What do you mean? How?"

"She doesn't know about the arrhythmia," Nico said quickly. "But she knew that whatever it was, I wouldn't want the whole school to know about it. So she made me a deal. She said that if I agreed to become her boyfriend, she would cover up the cafeteria episode, and any other symptoms. She's popular, she's in contact with the right people to make it believable. I agreed."

"But Nico-!"

"I know it seems stupid. But I need to keep up this cover. I can't afford to have any weaknesses. Weaknesses kill people. I _can't_ have someone die because of me. Not again." He said the last part as a whisper. Nico felt strong arms wrap around him, and he let himself be embraced by Will. "This was before I got to know you," Nico said softly. "I want to back out of this deal, but she's holding _other_ people's secrets above my head. She basically threatened to humiliate them. I can't do that to other people, Will."

"I know, Nico. But please believe me when I say that what happened to Bianca and your mother was not your fault. You couldn't have stopped it. And...people can get over humiliation. Sure, it make make their lives hard for a while, but it will eventually fade away. Besides, five years from now, no one is gonna care about who did what in high school. They'll have other things to worry about."

"But...it's extremely sensitive information she has over one person in particular. I have no idea how she knows this about them, but she does, and-"

"You're talking about me, aren't you." Will didn't phrase it as a question.

Nico pulled away and stared at his friend. "How did you know?"

Will sighed, looking weary and defeated. Nico didn't like it at all. "Octavian and Drew know each other."

Nico gaped at him. " _How_?"

Will shrugged. "Maybe they were both at a jerks' convention. Who knows. I'm sure Octavian was ecstatic to figure out we went to school together. He probably told her. Tell me, what else did her little 'deal' contain?"

Nico shrugged, wrinkling his nose. "Just...touching. PDA."

"I thought you had a no-touching rule,"

"I do."

Will nearly exploded. "She can't do that! There are people who don't like to be touched because of past traumatic events!" Will inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "You're telling her tomorrow that the deal is off. I don't care what she leaks to the school; I'm not letting her hold this over your head."

"But, Will!"

"No." Will looked Nico dead in his obsidian eyes. "If you don't, I will. This isn't okay. It's really not that big a deal that people know about my dad, anyway." Seeing Nico's uncertain expression, he added, "Please, Nico. Secrets always come out into the open anyway. It's just revealing the inevitable sooner."

Nico looked at this wonderful boy, this beautiful person who was willing to divulge his secrets to protect Nico. No one had ever cared for him like that. Never. _But Will and I are just friends,_ he reminded himself. _Will cares about many people very deeply, and I'm lucky to be one of them. But we're just friends. Nothing more._

Nico searched those lapis lazuli pools and said the words that he was sure would cost Will something, even if neither of them could predict the repercussions. Once he said them, he wouldn't be able to back out. He couldn't break a promise to Will. But he said them anyway. "Okay."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. And it's kinda short. I also forgot to put the disclaimer and warning in the last chapter, so I apologize for that too. I was asked how often I updated, and the answer is that I try to update as soon as I can. Sometimes I'll update within a couple days, and sometimes it will take longer. I try to update every week, so feel free to yell at me if I take longer than that. Thank you for all the reviews; they** **make my day. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters; all rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot (and a couple of original characters).**

 **Warning: Again, very mild language.**

Nico took a deep breath. He was going to do it. After years of no contact, he was going to call his sister, Hazel Levesque.

He stared at her name on his phone screen. What if Hazel didn't answer? What if she hated him now? He dismissed the thought quickly. She could never hate anybody. Before he could change his mind, Nico pressed the call button.

He waited with baited breath, but he needn't have worried. Hazel picked up on the second ring.

" _Nico?"_

"H-hi, Hazel,"

" _Oh my gosh! Nico, I can't believe it! You haven't called me in years!"_ Her voice cracked, and Nico could hear her crying. " _Nico, what did I do wrong?"_

He was quick to reassure her. "You didn't do anything wrong, Hazel. I promise. I just...I needed space."

It was quiet for a moment, and then Hazel said, " _Jason says that you isolated yourself. That the four of you decided to hide your relationship with each other. Why?"_

Nico stared into space sadly. "That day, I was upset. More than upset. I hated myself that day. Father had told me- he told me that it should have been me who died. He said I was a burden, difficult, a mistake. I know that Bianca was always his favorite out of the two of us, but that hurt _so_ much, Hazel. Then Percy called me difficult, and it triggered something. I...I used their insecurities against them. We all argued, and we decided to cut ties. We've all been doing our own thing. Then, long story short, stuff happened and we're on speaking terms? Kind of."

" _...The sad part is I can see this happening. Why call me out of the blue, though? Don't get me wrong, I_ love _hearing from you again, but this seems sudden, especially for you."_

"Oh. Um." Nico felt his face heating up, and silently cursed himself. "Uh, I met this guy named Will Solace. He's my...friend. You would like him. He's been helping me out with some stuff, and when I said I wanted to turn my life back around, he suggested I start by calling you."

" _You're right. I like him already. Anyone who tells you to call me is a friend of mine. What was he helping you with?"_

"My arrhythmia,"

" _Your_ what _?!"_

Nico jumped at her shout. He had forgotten Hazel didn't know about his heart. "Damn, I forgot to tell you. Uh, my heart beats irregularly sometimes. I may have passed out in the cafeteria."

" _Nico! I'm your_ sister _, you have to tell me things like this!"_

"I know, I'm sorry,"

" _Why was Will helping you?"_

"He wants to be a doctor. And he's just a generally nice person. Again, you would like him."

" _I'm going to New York. To visit."_

Nico's eyes widened. "You are? When?" he demanded.

He heard Hazel's soft laughter. " _Really soon. A couple of weeks."_ Hazel laughed again. " _You can introduce me to Will. Oh, and I'm bringing Frank and Reyna. You remember Reyna?"_

"How could I forget?" Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano was an intimidating girl from San Juan. Dark hair, dark eyes, and stern features. Nico really liked Reyna. She never took any crap from anybody, and she was a natural leader. It was a well-known fact that anyone who ended up on her bad side was very... _unlucky._

" _Good. When I get there, you're telling me all about your heart condition, understood?"_ Hazel's voice had taken on a stern tone.

Nico laughed quietly. "Whatever you say, Hazel."

" _I have to go, but I'll text you later, okay?"_ She didn't give him a chance to respond before she said, " _I love you, Nico."_

Nico smiled, even though she couldn't see it. "I- I love you, too, Hazel."

Later that night, Nico got a text from Jason. For the first time in years.

 **From: Jason**

 **I must admit, Nico, I'm hurt. You didn't tell me you liked Will. Or guys in general.**

Nico couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. His heart rate sped up. He could hear his blood rushing, his heart pounding. All he could think was _How?_ Nico hadn't told _anyone_ that he liked Will. No- that he was _remotely attracted_ to Will. How did Jason know?

Nico snapped out of his daze and called his cousin. When Jason picked up, he said in a low voice. "What are you talking about, Grace?"

He heard Jason sigh. "C'mon, dude, it's pretty obvious."

"No, it's really not."

"Alright, so maybe it's not obvious to everyone, but I saw you that day in the cafe. He was falling apart, and you looked panicked. Which- even you have to admit- is a very odd occurrence for you. Actually, you showing _any_ emotion is honestly a little strange, but you being panicked? Dude, you _like_ him."

Nico denied it. "I don't like him. I don't like guys. I'm dating _Drew_ ,"

"Nico. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you actually like Drew? You have a 'no-touching' rule. One that she breaks every day. You look so tense around her." Nico heard Jason sigh. "As your cousin and, more importantly, friend, I have to ask why you're dating Drew to begin with. Why put yourself through something that you hate? Why would you cause yourself suffering when it can easily be avoided?"

"I'm not-"

"Nico! Stop _denying_ it! Dude, I get it. You don't ever do anything that could cause yourself even the smallest amount of happiness. I don't know why, but you never allow yourself to."

"Jason, I-"

"Nico, are you happy?"

The question took Nico by surprise. "W-what?"

"Right now. Are you happy?"

Nico knew the answer immediately, but it took him a while to admit it. "No," he whispered.

Jason was quiet, and Nico wished that he could see his face. "I think that this could be good for you, Nico. Will-"

"Jason, I'm _not_ telling anyone I'm- I'm-"

"What, that you're gay?" Jason sounded exasperated.

Nico was silent.

Jason's voice came again, quieter, softer. "Being gay is not a bad thing, Nico. No one is going to-"

Nico exploded. " _Don't say that_! Don't you _dare_ tell me that no one is going to care, that no one is going to judge me, that no one's going to hate me, to be disgusted by me, to try and _fix me_. I can name people off the top of my head who will! I can't-" Nico's voice broke, and he was furious with himself. "I can't _handle_ that. I'm messed up already, Jason. I can't have people trying to tell me that how I feel is wrong, to try and fix how I love. I can't go through that."

The line was quiet for a long time. Nico waited for Jason to hang up on him. But he didn't. Instead, Jason said, "Nico, I'm coming over, okay? I'll be there in a few minutes." _Then_ Jason hung up.

True to his word, Jason was knocking on Nico's door just ten minutes later. Persephone must have let him in, because Nico hadn't moved from where he was sitting on the bed.

Jason wasted no time. He sat down next to Nico. "Look at me, Nico." Nico kept staring at the floor. He heard his cousin sigh. "You're not broken. You don't have a disease, you don't need to be 'cured,' or whatever." Nico flinched at the word _disease_. "You're human." Jason continued. "You've had it rough, and you've made mistakes, but you don't need to date Drew to cover up your sexuality."

Nico blinked. So Jason thought that he was dating Drew to cover up his sexuality. "That's not why I'm dating her," He murmured before he could stop himself.

"Then why?"

Nico took a deep breath. He was too tired to keep up so many walls. "It started off as a way to keep my arrhythmia a secret. It's a weakness, and I can't afford to have weaknesses." He could tell Jason was about to interrupt, so he quickly continued. "It's also in part why I closed myself off from everyone. Caring is a weakness, and people use your weaknesses against you. But that's off topic; I- I've been spending time with Will lately, and he's helped me. He-" Nico felt a tear run down his cheek, and he wiped it away angrily. "He has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I've already told him about Drew, and- and he-" Nico's voice broke, and his eyes filled and spilled over. "Earlier I told Drew that I didn't think people knowing about my heart was worth dating her for, and she threatened to tell people about Percy's crush on Annabeth and your crush on Piper- oh, and Piper told me to give you this." Nico dug into his pocket and fished out the slip of paper Piper had given him. Jason accepted it, but, even though he must have been dying to see what was written on it, he hardly glanced at it, looking at Nico instead and encouraging him to continue. So he did. "And, admittedly, I told her that you guys could survive that, but then she threatened to tell everyone about _Will_. She- she knew about Octavian and his father. I couldn't let her."

Jason inhaled deeply beside him. "That was the day you acted all mushy toward her, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Nico whispered.

"So- so does Will know?"

"Yes. He knew I was talking about him when I told him, even though I was being vague. He told me to break it off with her. Said it was bound to happen sometime, anyway. I'm going to do it tomorrow."

Jason put a hand on his shoulder, and Nico finally looked at him. "I know this is hard for you," Jason muttered. "But it's the right thing to do. Will is a good guy. He doesn't want you in this situation, and he _told_ you to end it with Drew, so you don't need to feel like you're hurting or betraying Will, okay?"

"I wish it wasn't him," Nico was crying harder now.

"You wish it wasn't him that Drew had dirt on, or you wish it wasn't Will you have a crush on?"

"I don't know," Nico whispered. "I wish that I didn't have to hand him over to Drew, but I think that's due partly to- I admit it- my feelings for him. I don't want to be the reason he got hurt. Jason, he's so _bright_. He's such a good person. He didn't push me; he got to know me slowly, and he let me try to trust him first. No one's ever tried so hard to get to help me. He's easily my best friend. I don't want to mess this up. I know he's gay, but Drew said he had a crush. I don't want to be the person to mess up his happiness. Will's just a great person, you know? He's been through so much, but he's still so optimistic and kind and-" Nico stopped himself. "And now I'm rambling."

Jason smiled softly at his cousin. "Yeah, you've got it bad, Nico. But did you ever stop to think that maybe there's a chance Will likes you, too?"

"I don't think so," Nico said miserably.

"But you don't know for sure! There's always a chance, and since you know he's gay, that chance is even bigger."

"I guess," Nico changed the subject. "What did Piper give you, Jason? Go on, look at it."

Jason stared at the slip of paper in his hand for a long time. Then he said, "It's her phone number." He looked at Nico. "It's her phone number. Oh my gods. Nico, I have _Piper McLean's_ phone number!" Jason lept up from the bed and started pacing around the room, pausing every once in awhile and bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Nico, what do I _do_?"

"Uh, text her?" Nico wasn't an expert in the dating department, but he was pretty sure that when a girl gave a guy her number, she wanted him to text her.

"Well, yeah, but about what? How long do I have to wait? Wait, you're sure she wanted you to give this to _me_ , right?"

"I don't know, I don't really think you should have to wait, and _of course_ I'm sure." Did Jason seriously ask how long to wait before texting someone? Did that actually matter?

"What am I supposed to text her?!"

"Um… 'this is Jason?'"

"Are you sure that's not too formal?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Jason! Just say something. If you keep over thinking it, it'll never happen."

"...What if-"

Nico groaned and flopped backwards on his bed.

* * *

Nico climbed off his motorcycle the next day. He was nervous. He didn't know what the right time to 'break up' with Drew would be. Nico was still terrified of what would happen to Will, but he knew that this had to be done. Not only for himself, but also for Will. Will would be able to stop hiding and- if he was lucky- Octavian might stop bullying him if it became common knowledge what he did. And if not, then Will could at least get help.

He spent the whole day trying to decide the best way to tell Drew. He didn't want to come off as arrogant, because that might fuel her anger even more. But he also didn't want to come off as so calm that he seemed uncertain. She would think he was easily swayed and try to win over his mind again. In the end, he decided that being blunt and straightforward (and in front of a crowd) was the best way to go.

Lunch finally came. Nico found Drew with ease, and walked over to her. When he reached her, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Drew," he said, loud enough so the whole table could hear him, "I need to talk to you." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Will, who smiled at him reassuringly, and Jason, who gave him a thumbs up.

She stood up from her seat at the table. "Yes, Neeks?" she purred.

Nico continued, making sure the other occupants of the table could still hear what he had to say. "I think we should-"

He didn't get to finish, because Drew threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and slamming her lips against his. Nico stumbled backward and almost fell. He could hear catcalls in the cafeteria, but he was too surprised to move.

Drew licked his bottom lip and took advantage of his shock to slip her tongue into his mouth. Nico finally unfroze. He shoved Drew away as forcefully as he could. She tumbled backward. Nico was so mad he slipped into Italian.

"Che diavolo!" _What the hell!_ "Sei disgustoso! Mantenere le tue labbra sporche a te stesso!" _You're disgusting! Keep your filthy lips to yourself!_ Nico quickly got his rage under control just enough to switch back to English. "Tanaka, I don't care _what_ you do, I will _not_ be your boyfriend. Kiss someone who can actually tolerate you." Not caring about the repercussions, Nico stalked over to where his cousins were sitting. Percy and Thalia were cheering. Jason high fived him. Will came over and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Go, di Angelo!" he yelled. The rest of the cafeteria was a bit chaotic. Some people were clapping and cheering, while others were yelling at him, outraged. Drew herself looked like she was going to maul Nico to death with her talon-like nails.

Leo Valdez was howling the loudest. "Feel that burn, Tanaka? That's called rejection!"

Nico saw Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase. Piper was smirking at Drew, while Annabeth tried to hide her laughter behind her hand. She wasn't succeeding.

Nico felt free. Finally, no one was holding anything over his head. He felt more alive than he had in years. Sure, that wasn't saying much, but it was an improvement.

The smallest of smiles crossed his face. That smile grew just a fraction when he remembered Hazel's promised visit.

 **A/N: There it is! Again, feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I'm glad to answer them. Thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi again! I'd like to start off by recommending a story here on Fan Fiction called 'Highschool Troubles' by CandyK1ng24 and Reader Gonna Read. It is well written, and unique from all the other high school** **fan fictions I have read. So if you get the chance, check it out! I would also like to say that, even if it might seem like it once you finish reading this chapter, THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot and a couple of original characters.**

 **WARNING: This chapter contains mild language, some punches, and verbal abuse. Slight trigger warning. Suicide is mentioned. Do not read if this could hurt you.**

As Drew promised, the next day rumors about Percy, Jason, and Will were flying around campus. Nico's arrhythmia was also now a known fact- after he informed everyone that that was _why_ he had passed out in the cafeteria- and to his delight, next to no one cared. Sure, he received a few remarks from Luke Castellan and by default Ethan Nakamura, but in the long run, who really cared? Castellan and Nakamura would fade as quickly as their insults.

Percy embraced the situation. Now that everyone knew about his feelings for Annabeth, he asked her out in front of everyone that morning ("Hey, Wise Girl!" "Yes?" "Wanna go out with me?" "Of course, Seaweed Brain.")

Jason and Piper had apparently been texting into the early hours of the morning, because when they entered the building, they were holding hands with each other . Jason walked Piper to her first block class and even kissed her in the cheek before heading off to his own. The student body was surprised for about two minutes. They were such a cliche couple, that their relationship was accepted immediately.

That left Will.

Nico couldn't go anywhere that day without hearing some comment about Will.

"His father thinks he's a failure,"

"I heard he was bullied by his own brother,"

" _I heard he was responsible for his older brothers' deaths_!"

Nico paused at that. That wasn't true...at least, Nico didn't think it was. Not on purpose, he was sure. Maybe by some kind of freak accident, but not on purpose. And even then, it wouldn't have been Will's fault. Accidents happened. Then Nico scowled. He hated it when his advice applied to himself.

Still, the rumour filled him with unease.

Nico ate lunch with Will in the library that day. Will had texted him, saying that he wouldn't be in the cafeteria today, in an effort to not be overwhelmed by everyone at once. Nico, like the friend he was trying so hard to be, joined him.

Will's smile made everything worth it.

They hadn't been there for long when Lou Ellen and Cecil burst through the door.

"WILLIAM SOLACE!" Lou Ellen yelled. Nico and Will both jumped. Lou Ellen marched over to the table where they were sitting, an equally outraged (but not as loud) Cecil following behind her.

Lou was seething. "Cecil and I are your _best friends._ How could you not tell us something like this?" Her voice got a little softer. "Will. We would have helped you. You're father and brother are jerks. You shouldn't have been listening to that for so long without someone to tell you otherwise."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys," Will whispered, looking at the table. "But you don't understand how hard it is to hear that kind of thing said about you, much less tell someone else." He turned his gaze to Nico and gave him a small smile, which Nico did his best to return. "Besides, I _did_ have help."

"What do you mean?" demanded Cecil. "Who knew?"

"Nico and Jason," responded Will. "They met Octavian."

"Wait." Lou said, looking indignant. "Two _strangers_ knew about this before your best friends?" She sounded hurt and kind of angry. "That hurts, Will."

Will turned to face her, and now _he_ looked angry. "Jason is a good person, Blackwell. He tried to help me when he found out. Offered me a place to stay." Nico's heart sank. Will didn't consider him a good person? Ouch.

Will continued. "And Nico happens to be a _very_ good friend of mine." Now Nico's heart soared. Now he had verbal acknowledgement that Will thought of him as a friend, and a close one at that. Sure, Nico would like to be something more to Will, but for now, this was good. He could work with this.

Lou Ellen looked slightly ashamed, but she was still angry. "But why didn't you tell _us_? I thought the three of us were close, Will."

"We are," Will assured her. "But some things aren't meant to be said to certain people, even people close to you. And that was one thing I couldn't tell either of you. But I could tell Nico, because he understands. Jason does too, to an extent. You guys wouldn't have. I should, however, have told you before the rest of the school found out."

"Wait," Cecil interrupted. "You knew this was going to happen?"

Will glanced at Nico. "I expected it to. I knew Drew knew, and I figured it was only a matter of time."

Lou Ellen wasn't easily satisfied, apparently. "Will-"

Cecil cut her off. "C'mon, Lou," he said, "Will needs some time to cope, and he's already in good hands." Cecil winked at Nico, grinning mischievously. He dragged a complaining Lou Ellen Blackwell out of the library.

"I'm sorry about her," Will said, looking at Nico. "She's demanding and sometimes not the most empathetic."

"It's fine," Nico told Will. "How are you handling things?"

"Eh," Will said. "I'm doing okay, it's just the sympathetic stares. When you and Jason found out, you were both angry and outraged, ready to offer help. You guys were prepared to listen to me and _make a difference in my life._ They just look at me and judge me, their eyes full of sympathy. They care only enough to feel sorry; they don't really want to help me. It's hard to look at them and know they feel pity for me. No one has even come up to talk to me about it. They just whisper and steal glances among themselves."

Nico nodded, understanding. When his mother and Bianca had died, people did the same thing. You want help with whatever it is you're going through, not empty pity or sympathy. People _seeked_ help; it was part of human nature. People were never entirely independent. Nico would let Will lean in him, because Will had let him lean on him.

"I'm here for you," Nico murmured to Will. "I'm here,"

* * *

Nico stuck by Will's side the rest of the day. If anyone do much as looked at him wrong, Nico sent them his signature death glare, which had them promptly looking anywhere _but_ at Will and Nico.

While Nico loved being able to help Will, it was hard for him to be there. Not because he wasn't capable of helping or even that he didn't want to, just that he hated refraining himself from doing anything even remotely intimate. He had to console Will while doing things that strictly friends would do. Nico wanted to hug him sometimes (which was weird in itself, because Nico _never_ wanted to touch anyone), but the most he could do was put an arm around his shoulders briefly. It was really putting a strain on his emotions.

Nico had decided once that he could come to love Will. That decision still stood, and it terrified Nico just how sure he was about it. If anything, he felt more sure than he did when he originally came to that conclusion. Everything about Will Solace called to Nico. His eyes- _lapis lazuli_ , they were so precious- calmed him. When he couldn't sleep at night, he pictured those eyes, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the sound of his alarm clock.

That smile- perfect white teeth, one side of his mouth higher than the other, pink lips gorgeously arched- it filled him with immeasurable joy. Just seeing that smile made his day.

His hair- golden as sunlight, gently curling. Nico wanted to run his fingers through those beautiful locks. When the sun shone in a halo around it- well, let's just say Nico had some serious self control.

His tan skin was that of a god's. Nico had seen the muscle in his biceps, too. Will was strong, and he had the body to prove it. His freckles formed galaxies, and Nico wanted to count them all. Nico felt warm all over whenever he was in contact with Will. Will was the sun, and the sun was necessary for life to exist. Will was necessary for _Nico_ to exist. It was as simple as that.

Oh, gods. Nico had it _bad_.

* * *

It had been a week since Drew had let the cat out of the bag. Will had handled everything very well, claiming that it was all because he had Nico to help him. Nico was just relieved that that smile was back on his face. Now, Nico was at the airport, waiting for Hazel, Reyna, and Frank.

"Nico!"

Nico was suddenly engulfed in a hug, which he gladly returned. He breathed in the scent of his sister, jasmine and vanilla. It felt so natural, so right. Having Hazel back felt like your favorite song coming on the radio, like the warmth of a fire after being left out in the cold, like a home cooked meal after a long journey. Hazel was calming and comforting. She was grounding and accepting and Nico had _missed her so much_.

"Hazel," he murmured into her dark curly hair.

She didn't let go, and Nico was glad. "I've missed you so much!" She sounded like she was getting choked up. Nico squeezed her once more and then pulled back. He was right; there were tears in her golden eyes.

He placed a gentle hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away her tears. "I missed you, too, Hazel."

"Hey, Nico. Good to see you again."

Nico turned around, smirking. "How's life lately, Frank? You been treating my sister right?"

Hazel smacked his bicep. "Nico! Give Frank a break. This is the first time you've seen him in years, and _that's_ the first thing you say to him?"

Nico's smirk only grew. "I'm pretty sure the first thing I said to him was 'How's life lately?' Besides, Frank and I understand each other."

Frank laughed at the siblings' exchange. "I'm good, Nico." When Nico and Frank had first been introduced, Frank had been intimidated by Nico. But they had grown more familiar with each other over time, and now the operated on a common ground. Nico quite liked Frank. He and Hazel were good together. Frank Zhang was the only guy Nico trusted with his sister. Frank hadn't once let him down.

Frank continued. "I'm more concerned about _you_ , Nico."

Nico blanched. "Why _me_?"

Frank looked unimpressed. He raised an eyebrow and even crossed his arms. "Uh, maybe because you completely shut everyone out of your life for years? That's not exactly healthy."

"You sound like Will," Nico complained.

"Do continue talking about this Will. He must be quite the catch to have captured _your_ attention."

Nico whipped around. "Reyna!"

He walked up to her and held out his hand for a greeting, as she usually liked, but she swatted i aside and pulled him into a hug. "You are an idiot," she informed him.

Nico laughed, pressing his nose into the side of her tan neck. "I missed you to,"

Reyna pulled away to stare at him, dark eyes regarding Nico cooly. Her braid was thrown casually over her shoulder. She looked, as always, regal. "I hope you fully understand just how dumb you were, detaching yourself from us like that, di Angelo."

Nico nodded solemnly. "I guess I'm starting to,"

Hazel clasped her hands together. "It's so great to be in New York again! I've missed the big city. Oh! We should do something together. You can bring Will, Nico. And we'll get Thalia and Jason and Percy-"

"Okay, okay," Nico cut his sister off. "I'll text Jason and have him bring Percy and Thalia here."

Reyna smirked and raised an eyebrow. "And Will?"

Nico mimicked her actions. "He's just outside. He drove me here."

Hazel gasped. "Nico! Why didn't you tell us? We can't just leave him waiting outside! C'mon!" She grabbed her suitcase and his hand, tugging him toward the entrance. Frank and Reyna were following close behind.

They finally exited the airport. Nico found Will's car immediately, and pointed it out.

"Where's Will?" Frank asked. Nico scanned the parking lot, searching for the familiar head of blonde hair. He found it and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Hazel asked, trying to follow his gaze.

Smiling, Nico pointed to where his friend was. "See the tall, tan guy with blonde hair? That's Will." Will seemed to be helping a middle aged woman bring her suitcases and children to their car. He had a bag slung over one shoulder, and was pulling a bulky suitcase behind him. On his shoulders was a little girl who looked about five. In the arm that wasn't occupied with the bag and suitcase, he was holding a toddler. The mother looked exhausted; she was carrying two more suitcases and had a baby strapped to her chest. Nico, Reyna, Frank, and Hazel all watched as they reached the mother's car. Will let go of the suitcase he had and set down the bag. After the woman had loaded the suitcases into the trunk of her car- with Will helping as much as he could one-handed- and after she had strapped the baby into its carseat, he carefully handed her the toddler. Then he lifted the five year old off his shoulders, swinging her around before he set her on the ground, both of them laughing. He put away the family's remaining luggage and closed the trunk door. The woman finished making sure all of her children were in their carseats and came over to thank Will. She looked so grateful, and Will smiled at her. Nico knew what Will's response probably was, _It was no trouble, ma'am. Your children are wonderful. It was my pleasure. Have a safe drive!_

Nico smiled softly at the sight. He failed to notice the looks his sister and his friends were giving him.

Will started to walk back to his car, waving to the woman. He turned around and saw Nico. His smile brightened, and he started jogging toward them.

"Hi," Will said upon reaching them. "I'm Will Solace." He turned to Hazel. "You're Hazel, right? Nico showed me a picture of you once. It's a pleasure to meet you; Nico speaks so highly of you."

Hazel smiled back at Will, glancing at Nico. "It's a pleasure to meet _you_ , Will. Nico speaks of you quite highly, too."

Will grinned. "Aw, I had no idea you cared, Death Boy."

"Shut up, Sunshine."

Will laughed and turned to Frank. "You're Frank, right?"

Frank shook Will's hand. "Yeah, I am. Nice to meet you."

Reyna stepped forward. "Will Solace," she mused.

"You're Reyna, then." Will's smile still hadn't faded. Nico briefly wondered if his cheeks hurt at night from smiling all day. "I've heard lots about you, too."

Reyna tilted her head to the side. "That was a nice thing you did for that woman,"

Will shrugged. "She looked like she needed help, and I was able to offer her some. It's no big deal."

Nico and Reyna rolled their eyes in sync. "Still," Reyna said. "Not many people would."

"I guess I'm in the minority, then. Not that that's a strange thing for me."

"Will's gay," Nico explained, seeing the confusion in his friends' faces. They all nodded and moved on.

Ever the conversationalist, Will asked, "So, how was your flight? I, for one, admire the fact that you guys could fly all the way here from _California_ , because I hate planes."

Before any of them could respond, a voice called out, "Well, if it isn't Reyna Avilla Ramirez-Arellano."

Everyone there froze and turned around. There was Octavian Aeron. What was he doing at the airport?

"Octavian," Reyna growled.

Will's face had gone blank again, and Nico cursed Octavian in Italian.

The rat-like boy sneered. "What are you doing in New York?"

Reyna lifted her chin. "I hardly think that's any of your business."

Octavian's gaze swept over Hazel, Nico, and Frank, apparently deeming them unimportant, before coming to a rest on Will. "Hello, Willie."

Will's face betrayed no emotion. "You're going to miss your flight."

Octavian clucked his tongue. "Trying to get rid of your brother so easily? You certainly got rid of Michael and Lee, but I like to think I'm harder to kill-"

Nico's fist connected with Octavian's jaw. Octavian stumbled, and Nico used the opportunity to tackle him to the ground, throwing punch after punch, creating multiple bruises on Octavian's ugly face. He thought he heard Hazel scream his name, but all he was aware of was the desperate need to protect Will. " _Will didn't hurt anyone!_ " Nico hissed.

Arms wrapped around Nico's torso, pinning his arms to his sides and pulling him off of Octavian. Nico fought them, but they held him to them.

"He's not worth it, Nico," Will's voice said in his ear. "Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing that what he says gets to you. I learned that early on."

That made Nico pause. He twisted around so he was looking Will in the face. "What do you mean?" He said dangerously. " _What do you mean_?"

Will didn't say anything for a moment. Then he replied, "Now's not the time or place."

Nico narrowed his eyes. He wasn't satisfied, but he knew Will was right. "Fine. But we _will_ talk about this." _Ugh,_ Nico thought. _When did I start sounding like an overprotective boyfriend?_ No. A concerned friend. Just a...friend.

Will smiled down at him and released him. Nico only barely refrained from decking Octavian again.

The rat picked himself up from the floor. He snarled, "Keep your filthy hands off me you f-"

" _Octavian_!" Will yelled. "Go. _Leave_. Get on your damn flight. And please- stay on the West Coast."

Octavian's already ugly features twisted into a scowl that did nothing for his appearance. "Don't even try telling me what to do, _Willie."_ His voice started to rise hysterically. " _You_ listen to _me_ , freak! I am superior! I won't have my inferiors trying to undermine me!"

"Octavian-" Will began.

"No!" He screeched. Octavian had a mad glint in his eye, and Nico wondered if he was actually sane. "Don't even try ordering _me_ around." He ran up to Will, fisting his hands in his shirt and slamming him against the car. "I have put up with your inability to conform long enough. As your superior, I give you one last order: _Kill yourself_ , _you fa-"_

Octavian never got to finish what he said. Nico grabbed the back of Octavian's collar and yanked backward as hard as he could. Octavian started to choke and lost his grip on Will. He landed hard on the pavement.

Reyna yelled, "I'm calling airport security!" And she ran off, Hazel close behind her. Frank took over restraining Octavian, and Nico headed over to where Will, the boy still leaning against the car. Will's normally tan face was ashen, and his blue eyes were empty, staring at nothing.

Nico put his hand on Will's shoulder. "Will," he whispered. "Are you alright?"

Will gave a small shake of his head, hardly noticeable.

"Nico," Frank called. Nico turned toward him, but kept his hand on Will's shoulder. "I'm taking Aeron here to meet security halfway."

"Okay," Nico replied. He turned back to Will as Frank dragged a struggling Octavian behind him, knowing that Frank was more than capable of doing this task himself. "Will," he murmured. "Don't listen to him, okay? He's...he's not-"

"He's not sane," Will whispered. His voice sounded hoarse, and he looked so broken. Nico's heart clenched. "My half-brother is mentally ill. And I can't help him."

Nico gave Will a shaky smile. "That is so like you, Will. To only care about helping other people, regardless of how you feel. But right now I need you to focus on _you_." Nico couldn't help it. He cupped Will's face in his hands. "Look at me, Sunshine. You can't listen to a single thing Octavian just said- don't you dare take a _single thing_ to heart."

A tear fell down Will's cheek. "Nico," he croaked. "Nico, you don't understand. He- he told me to give up because of who I _love_. Like for some reason I'm not supposed to love someone whose gender is male, because I'm a male. I try so damn hard, Nico, to let their words slid by. But he just told me to _kill myself_. When someone tells you that, it's hard to see a bright side to life. And all because I'm gay. I didn't commit a crime, I didn't hurt anyone- all I did was dare to love someone who had the same gender as me. You can't possibly understand what that's like." Will hung his head in defeat.

Nico inhaled slowly and made an impulsive decision. "Will," Nico said, tilting Will's chin up so that lapis lazuli met obsidian. "I understand, at least to a certain degree. I'm gay, too."

Will's gorgeous eyes widened. "You are?" Nico nodded. "How long have you known?"

"A long time," Nico said. "Persephone and Jason are the only other people who know, though."

"So, I'm guessing you don't want me to allude to that in front of your sister, then, right?"

Nico smirked. "Right." Subconsciously, Nico moved closer to Will. "Solace, you're the one who gave me the courage to come out, all right? Without you...I'd never be able to accept myself, let alone allow other people to accept me." Nico leaned his forehead against Will's. "I don't know what your father and Octavian have said to you," he whispered. "But I do know that whatever they've said, they couldn't be farther from the truth. You are an amazing person, Will. You care so much about everyone, and you help them. You'll be an incredible doctor. You know more about my heart than I do." Looking back later, Nico would realize that that statement stood not only for his physical heart, but for his metaphorical heart, too. "You may not be my doctor, but you've fixed me more than mine has. Sunshine-" Nico's voice broke, and he felt tears sting his eyes, but he kept going. "If you were to- to die, I wouldn't...I don't think I'd ever be okay." The tears started falling. "Don't kill yourself, Will." Nico begged. "Come talk to me or someone else, but don't kill yourself. You're the reason I'm _alive_ , Will. You've given me a chance to start over and make amends with my family- you're why Hazel and Frank, and Reyna are here right now. Without you, I'd have died a long time ago, whether from my heart condition- because we both know without you I'd never listen to a word out of that doctor's damn mouth- from living without emotion, like a corpse, or because of- of suicide. I need you, Will. And- and now I know that you need me."

"Nico," Will whispered, tears also streaming down his cheeks. "Nico, thank you. I'll promise you to never give up, but only if you promise me the same thing. Deal?"

Nico gave him a watery smile. "That's a promise I'm willing to keep." Nico swallowed, and then he took a risk. "Sunshine, I also promise to always, _always_ be there for you. I really like you- more than I've ever like anyone."

Light appeared in Will's lapis lazuli- _precious-_ eyes. "I'm pleased to say that the feeling is mutual."

Nico smirked mischievously. "Will Solace, can I kiss you?"

Will smirked back. "I'd like that,"

Their lips pressed against each other's. The kiss was gentle, sweet. It spoke of comfort and reassurance, of promises and healing. But most of all, it spoke of the love between two boys- one darkness, one light. They were both broken, but they were no longer shattered. Will Solace and Nico di Angelo held each other tightly, pressed against an old, red truck in the middle of an airport parking lot, and freed themselves from their self-inflicted cages. They loved, and they promised, and they embraced every part of the other. Nico had never, not once in his life, been happier. He felt _complete_.

"Nico, I can't believe you didn't tell your best friend you were gay. Instead, _this_ is how I find out. Good to know where I stand."

 **A/N: If you have any questions or comments, feel free to PM me or leave them in a review. Thank you again for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm sorry this update took so long. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait. It is, after all, the last one. Before I say anything else, if you like the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, especially the Marauder Era, then I recommend checking out MoonyTheMarauder1. Her stories are really touching and beautiful, and I can promise that it's well written. She IS my twin ;)**

 **I'd like to thank everyone who favorited, followed, and/or reviewed. You guys made my day and motivated me more than you can imagine. The chapter is dedicated to all of you. You guys are the BEST. Well, here goes nothing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot and a few original characters.**

Nico and Will jerked apart. Nico had one hand lost in Will's golden curls, and the other was clutching Will's collar. Will himself was pinned between Nico and the car, one arm around Nico's waist and the other cupping his cheek. Nico and Will released their hold on each other at the sound of Reyna's voice. Turning around, Nico saw that his friends had, unfortunately, returned. Reyna had a hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised. Frank was blushing and avoiding looking at them. Hazel was fanning her face, her eyes darting around the parking lot.

Clearing his throat, Nico said, "I didn't intend for you to find out that way, either."

Reyna snorted. "When were you planning on telling the three of us?"

Nico swallowed. "I...didn't have anything particular in mind?" He said it like it was a question.

Hazel finally looked at him. "At least now I know why you spoke so highly of Will on the phone."

Nico didn't have to turn around to know that there was a wide grin on Will's face. He decided to ignore him. "So, you guys don't mind?"

They all shook their heads. Nico felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Will cleared his throat. "Uh, I believe we were all discussing lunch?"

Hazel perked up. "Yes! Nico, get Thalia, Jason, Percy, and anyone else who wants to come."

Nico rolled his eyes at her bossy tone. "You do realize I'm your older brother, right?"

Hazel looked him straight in the eye. "I'll acknowledge that when you can take care of yourself. Really, what did you expect to achieve by shutting out the world?"

Nico frowned. He could hear Will laughing behind him. Reyna was smirking, and Frank was failing to suppress his smile. "Fine, I'll text Jason," Nico relented.

So he did, telling Jason to bring Thalia, Percy, and their girlfriends. Jason agreed, and Nico sent Jason the address of the restaurant.

"So, where are we eating?" Frank asked.

Nico smirked. "McDonald's,"

Hazel and Reyna groaned. Frank laughed. Will looked incredulous. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Nico told him. "I already texted Jason the address, too, so there's no getting around it. Besides, it won't kill the doctor in you to eat fast food _once_."

"It's not the idea of eating fast food," Will defended. "It's the idea of eating fast food at McDonald's."

Nico was already climbing into the backseat of Will's car. "Sucks to be you, Sunshine," he called.

Grumbling, Will started to open the door to the driver's seat, but Reyna put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "You shouldn't be driving after all that. Sit in the back with Nico. I'll drive."

Will complied, and sat in the middle of the back row. Hazel slipped in on the other side of him, and Frank took shotgun. Will handed Reyna the keys, and she put them in the ignition. She pulled out of the airport parking lot, and a silence stretched between the five companions. Finally, Nico said, "So...whatever happened to Octavian?"

"He's currently being handled by security. Apparently that wasn't the first time someone had complained about him. I don't know what exactly they're doing, but he might be detained from his flight." She looked at Will in the rearview mirror. "Are you two really brothers?"

"Half-brothers," Will immediately corrected.

Reyna said, "It was nice, seeing you help that lady. It's definitely not something that Octavian would have done."

"Well, I'm not Octavian,"

"That's abundantly clear," Reyna told him.

Nico spoke up. "How do _you_ know Octavian, Reyna?"

Nico could see her scrunch up her nose in the rear view mirror. "He and I competed for Student Body President senior year. I, of course, won. Then I had the misfortune of attending the same college as him. We're constantly competing, and I am constantly winning. Sure, he has some loyal followers, but I am supported by the majority."

"Reyna leads lots of community projects," Hazel added. "I've seen her around, and she's quite good at leading. No one has any qualms with her."

"Thank you, Hazel." Reyna replied.

They arrived at McDonald's. Nico was the first out of the car. Everyone else followed him at a slower pace. They went inside, and Nico saw his cousins and their girlfriends already seated at a table. He went over and joined them. Will was the next to enter, and greetings were exchanged.

"So," Percy began. "Since we're all here, shall I go order?"

Will frowned. "We're not all here,"

Percy's sea green eyes gleamed. " _Oh_ ," he said, drawing out the word. He waggled his eyebrows. "Is there a special lady we're waiting for? I've seen you hanging around that girl with the black and green hair. She's pretty cute."

Will looked absolutely horrified, and Nico burst out laughing, clutching his sides. Jason was shaking with laughter, too. Everyone else just looked confused.

"Dude," Jason choked out. "Will's gay,"

Annabeth, Thalia, and Piper joined in the laughter. Percy looked surprised and embarrassed. "Dude, I am _so sorry_."

"It's fine, man," Will assured. "And, for the record, Lou Ellen is lesbian. She and Miranda Gardner are going to be a thing, mark my words."

"Yeah," Nico said. He looked at Will, silently asking him a question. Will looked at him with adoring eyes, and Nico knew his answer. He knew in that moment that he was ready. Nico laced his fingers with Will's. "Don't go trying to set up my boyfriend, Jackson."

The laughter stopped. Everyone looked shocked. Then, Jason's face broke into a wide grin. He said, "Congrats, guys!" at the same time Percy and Thalia said incredulously, "You're _gay_?!"

Piper and Annabeth recovered quickly. Probably because they hadn't known him for very long. "That's great, guys!" Piper said. Annabeth smiled at them supportively.

"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Thalia demanded.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Maybe because he knew that you guys would react this way."

Percy and Thalia rounded on him. "You knew?" Percy asked, disbelieving.

"Yeah," Jason said. "Why are you guys acting like it's such a big deal? You just found out about Will and didn't bat an eye- what makes Nico any different?" Jason looked angry. It made Nico feel...good, to have someone who defended him. After all his time alone, he thought that he'd never get used to someone defending him, helping him out, watching his back. It was a surprisingly nice change.

Thalia's eyes widened, her black eyeliner helping to make her look raccoon-like. "What? No! It's not like that at all!"

Percy looked horrified. "Bro, no! We just want to know why he never _told_ us. And why he told you instead," Percy added quietly.

"Actually," Nico cut in, "I didn't tell him. He figured it out."

Will turned and looked at him. "Oh?"

Nico's cheeks reddened just _slightly_. "It was an emotional day and Grace here is apparently more observant than he looks."

Will just laughed.

Percy looked at his cousin. "You still haven't answered our question, di Angelo."

Nico felt frustrated. "I don't know. No one ever really brought it up, you know? I had no idea how you'd react. Besides, our relationship hasn't been all that great as of recent years."

"What changed?" Annabeth asked curiously.

Nico turned at looked at the person who saved him from himself, and he found lapis lazuli eyes already looking at him. "I met Sunshine here."

"That," Thalia said, smiling sweetly, "Is the cheesiest thing I have ever heard."

"Oh, I don't think so, Grace. You should have heard Levesque and Zhang on that plane."

Jason, Percy, and Thalia all whipped around toward the door. Reyna, Frank, and Hazel were all standing there. They walked toward the rest of the group.

" _Reyna_?" Jason asked.

" _Hazel_?" Percy gaped.

" _Zhang_?" Thalia said, open mouthed.

Everyone turned to look at Nico.

"You never mentioned them coming to lunch with us!" Jason exclaimed.

Next to Nico, Will put his head in his hand- the one that wasn't holding Nico's, of course. "Nico, did you seriously not tell your cousins that they were coming?"

"Uh, no?"

"How long have you known?" Percy asked.

"Ever since the day Jason found out I was gay."

Thalia and Reyna rolled their eyes in synchronicity. "You're an idiot," Reyna informed him.

"Gee, thanks," Nico said sarcastically.

His cousins got up from the table and greeted their guests from California. "Frank, bro, I missed you," Percy said, pulling Frank in for a bro-hug.

"Reyna, my feminist friend!" Thalia threw an arm over Reyna's shoulder. "It's been too long!"

Jason hugged Hazel. "I've missed you, Hazel."

She tightened her grip on him. "Me, too,"

"Uh, sorry to interrupt the surprisingly touching reunion, but, who are you guys?" Piper asked.

Jason pulled away from Hazel's embrace. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Guys, this is Annabeth, Percy's girlfriend-"

"At long last," Thalia interjected.

"And this is Piper," Jason continued, smiling softly. "My girlfriend."

Reyna tensed slightly, but then relaxed again so quickly that Nico was sure he was the only one who noticed. Nico felt slightly bad for her. Reyna used to like Jason, but he had rejected her. She had moved on, but it must still be hard to have the person you liked be so obviously enamoured with someone else when they had so easily rejected you. But Reyna was strong. She had strength to spare. And if she needed help, Nico would be there for her to lean on.

Jason continued his introductions. "Piper, Annabeth, this is Hazel, Reyna, and Frank. Hazel is Nico's sister, Frank is her boyfriend, and Reyna is our friend."

Annabeth got up and shook Reyna's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you,"

"You as well," Reyna said. "Anyone who can keep Kelp Head over there in line is well-worth meeting."

"Hey!" Percy protested.

Everyone laughed, and introductions ceased. "So," Percy said, eyes hopeful. " _Now_ can we get lunch?"

* * *

Lunch was...fun. Nico sat in between Will and Reyna, and Jason sat across from him. Next to Jason was Piper and Hazel, and Frank sat on Hazel's other side. Thalia was seated next to Piper. Percy sat next to Reyna, and next to him was Annabeth. There was lots of laughter, and for the first time in a long time, Nico felt right at home among his family and friends.

Fries and milkshakes finished, the group had started really catching up with each other.

"So, Nico," Hazel said. "Tell us more about your arrhythmia."

Nico took a long sip of his vanilla milkshake, stalling. Will squeezed his hand under the table supportively. " _Well_ ," he began, drawing out the word, "When I get stressed out, or overwhelmed, or even just by overexerting myself, my heart starts speeding up, and symptoms get worse. So my heart already beats irregularly, but it starts to be a problem when those things happen. I pass out from time to time," he admitted. "But, thankfully, I have a future doctor for a boyfriend." He turned to his left and pecked Will on the lips. It was short, but Nico felt warm when he pulled away.

"Gross," Thalia said, scrunching up her nose.

"So it's easily taken care of?" Hazel tentatively asked.

Will nodded, and she visibly relaxed. "Yeah, don't worry, Hazel. Nico's in good hands."

"Oh, I know that," she said, gold eyes gleaming. "I know _you'll_ take care of my brother, Will. I'm just worried he'll try to act all lone wolf again hide his symptoms from you."

"Hey!" Nico protested.

Will laughed. "I won't let Nico slip into the shadows, Hazel. He's too sweet to let go."

"I know, right? I don't know how the majority of your school was scared of him."

"Guys, I'm right here."

"Me neither. The Lord of Darkness needs love, too,"

Nico kissed Will again, effectively shutting him up. Percy interrupted his bliss. "Hey, Nico, isn't your dad supposed to be coming back today?"

Nico broke out of the kiss immediately. "You just had to ruin the mood, didn't you, Jackson?"

Thalia piped up. "That's his thing, Nico."

"Sorry," Percy said. He didn't look sorry.

Nico sighed. "I guess I better go greet him."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Frank asked.

Nico shook his head. "No, you guys go check into your hotel room. I'll call you later."

The group said their goodbyes and parted ways. Nico's hand was still entwined with Will's when they walked out the door.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Will asked Nico.

"No, go home and celebrate Octavian's return to California." Nico stopped suddenly, halting Will. "Tell me, what did you mean earlier? When you said that you had 'learned that a long time ago?'"

Will was absentmindedly rubbing circles into the back of Nico's hand with his thumb. It was just the _tiniest_ bit distracting. "Octavian has always been a bully. He feeds off of others' pain. I don't remember when it was exactly, but I was probably around ten. I don't even remember _what_ he said, but it made me _really_ upset. Lee and Michael were still alive back then. They were both older and stronger than Octavian, and he knew that if I told them what he said, they'd put him in his place. So he- he hit me." Will's voice quivered slightly. "He threatened me, told me that if I told them he'd hurt me more. I was a kid; I didn't know to call his bluff. All I knew was that my brother, even as much as a jerk he was, had hit me. Octavian told me that I had better smile when I left that room, _or else_. It became a fairly regular thing. Then I found out that if I didn't react, it didn't hurt as much and he didn't get as much pleasure out of it. It happened less often. Lee and Michael would have killed them if they ever found out. It's also why I couldn't leave my siblings with him."

Nico turned so that he was facing Will head on. "I can't believe he would dare lay a finger on you," he whispered. "You're strong, Will. And brave. I won't let him hurt you ever again. I swear it."

Will gave a weak laugh. "Thanks, Death Boy."

"Go home and rest, Sunshine," Nico said. "I'll walk home; it's not far."

Will nodded. "Okay," he relented. After pressing a final kiss to Nico's lips, Will got in his car and drove off.

Nico started walking toward his house, which was slowly starting to feel like a home. Persephone and he weren't perfect, but they were starting to round out the edges. But if Hades didn't accept him...well, maybe he could move in with Percy. Aunt Sally was definitely welcoming enough.

Nico reached his address. In the driveway, he saw Hades' black Lamborghini. His father was already home. Nico's heart started to beat faster. He had thought that he'd at least have a little time to think of a game plan with Persephone. But his father was home _now_. Nico had to tell his father that he was homosexual in mere seconds, minutes if he was lucky.

He had reached the front door. Shaking, he reached a hand toward the handle and turned it, stepping inside. Nico felt like he was watching himself walk down the hallway; his mind didn't seem to match his body, like it didn't comprehend what he was doing noise filled his head, and behind it he could hear his anxiety, the words blurring together in a buzz.

 _What if he doesn't accept me what if he kicks me out or disowns me I'm a minor there aren't many options I can't burden anyone else you're a burden Nico you're difficult useless a mistake you should have died Nico-_

 _You should have died, Nico._

Nico was suddenly standing in the entrance to the living room. Persephone and Hades were seated on one of the couches.

Hades' dark eyes bore into his. "Hello, Nico."

Nico's heart was fluttering, and _not_ in a good way. He could hear his pulse in his ears as his blood rushed through his veins. Wordlessly, he entered the room and sat down in the chair across from his father and stepmother.

Once he was seated, he said, "F-father, I have something to tell you,"

Persephone sent him a thin, but supportive, smile. "Yes?" Hades asked.

Nico gulped. His head was swimming, alive with chaos and warnings and fears. Somehow in the midst of it all he managed to say, "I'm gay,"

The room went silent.

Nico's heart was throbbing in his chest. He'd been too direct. He should have tried to lead the conversation toward that topic in a way that seemed natural, not by dropping it so suddenly.

Hades finally spoke. "Nico di Angelo. If this is some kind of sick joke-"

Nico shook his head softly, hanging his head. He felt tears burn behind his eyes. "No," he whispered. "It's not,"

Persephone came to his defense. "Why would he be joking? He's obviously afraid of telling his own father of his sexuality; why would you treat this as a joke?" She sounded angry. "There's nothing _wrong_ with it. He likes boys- so what? Are you going to ground him to his room?" She said the last part mockingly.

Hades scowled at her. "Of course not! It's just-" he sighed heavily and turned to look Nico in the eye. "Are you _sure_?" Persephone snorted, but he ignored her. "If word of this gets out to the press, you could have lots of unwanted publicity."

Nico's heart was still going crazy, but he got angry at those words. "Is that all you care about?" Nico asked dangerously. "The _publicity_ I'll attract? What your clients will think? What people we know _nothing about_ think?"

Hades looked frustrated. "No, but we need to consider this-"

Nico interrupted. "I don't see what we need to consider. I've already come out to my friends. I've come out to my cousins and Persephone. You were the last person. For crying out loud, I have a _boyfriend._ "

Persephone's head snapped toward his. "You do? That's great! What's his name?"

At the same time, Hades said, "You have a _boyfriend_? Nico di Angelo!"

Nico addressed Persephone. "Will Solace."

"What's he like?" she cooed.

Nico smiled despite himself. "He's the most caring person you'll ever meet. Just today he was helping this single mom with three kids carry her suitcases in the airport."

Hades' brow furrowed. "What were you doing at the airport?"

Nico paused. He supposed his father had the right to know. "Frank, Reyna, and Hazel are here. In New York. They're visiting for a while."

Hades shot to his feet. "My daughter is here? When were you going to tell me?" he demanded.

Nico merely shrugged.

"We can see Hazel later," Persephone told her husband. "Right now we're focusing on Nico." She said it as if she were reminding Hades of a conversation they had had. It made Nico wonder, did they talk about him? It was weird to think about.

"Anyway," Persephone continued. "He sounds _wonderful_ , Nico."

Hades still looked skeptical. "He sounds like he could be any 'nice guy' in the world!"

"Hades!" Persephone snapped.

Nico got defensive. They were talking about Will, how could he not? "You want me to prove it? I have a picture." Nico unlocked his phone and found one of his favorite pictures of Will. They had gone to a lake that day, and there was a small dock there. Will was lying down on the dock, his feet dangling over the edge. His hands were behind his head. The sunlight was hitting him perfectly, illuminating his golden curls and tan skin. His blue eyes shone with a radiance that rivaled the sun, and they crinkled at the corners. His smile was blinding, white teeth surrounded by perfectly shaped pink lips, which Nico could now confirm were as soft as they looked. Will wasn't wearing anything special, just blue jeans and a pale yellow shirt, but Nico didn't think he could get any more attractive.

"He's so handsome!" Persephone exclaimed, a grin gracing her features. "Oh, Nico, you hit the jackpot."

"I did, didn't I?" Nico mused.

His father was still looking at the picture. "I feel like I've seen him before," Hades muttered. Then his eyes widened slightly. "He's _that_ boy! Persephone, he's that kid I told you about, the one whose father told him-" Hades stopped abruptly, glancing at Nico.

"His father and older brother verbally abuse him," Nico confirmed. "His brother physically abused him, too. But he's still the kindest person you'll ever meet. I wish Mamá and Bianca could have met him; they would have loved Will."

Hades and Persephone stared at him in shock. Nico realised it was the first time he had mentioned his mother and sister casually and without any hint of guilt or anger since they had passed. All because of Will Solace.

"This boy really means a lot to you," Hades murmured.

"Yes, he does," Nico confirmed.

Hades seemed to make up his mind about something. "I'm happy for you, Nico. I- I want you to know that I accept you, okay? I'm glad your life is finally taking a turn for the better. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Dad," Nico said, mildly surprised at the unexpectedly sincere words from his father.

Hades stood up and embraced Nico before letting go quickly. "I do love you," he murmured. "And I'm proud,"

Nico responded by hugging his father again.

* * *

Nico threw a grape at his boyfriend, who, naturally, caught it in his mouth. "Oh, come on," Nico complained. "How are you so good at _everything_?"

Will laughed. He stretched out on the lush grass, and he reached out a hand to nudge Nico's knee. "That's what happens when you're born perfect."

Nico laughed. He maneuvered himself so that he was lying on his stomach on top of Will. "You _are_ pretty great," Nico agreed, bringing a hand to rest in Will's golden curls.

Will licked his lips. "I'm not the greatest person here, though." Will rolled them over so that Nico was on the bottom. "You're special, Nico," he whispered.

Nico avoided his intense gaze. He couldn't move; tanned arms were braced on either side of him. "Not really,"

Warm fingers cupped his chin. "You really can't see it, can you? How beautiful you are."

Nico felt his cheeks warm. "Sunshine-"

Will pressed a thumb to his lips. "No, listen. You're incredible, Nico. You have a fierce sense of right and wrong. And you're able to sacrifice for the greater good. You are a loyal person. You've come to my defense at the mere mention of an insult. So, thank you." Will paused, then continued. "Can I ask you something?"

Nico was in awe of the boy in front of him. He was in _love_. "Anything, Sunshine,"

"Why didn't you tell me how you felt sooner? I mean, I had an excuse- I didn't know for sure you were gay. But you knew. So why the wait?"

Nico swallowed. "Well- I don't really know. I guess...I guess I've learned over the years that, especially when it comes to love, people feel at different intensities. You could be in a relationship and love someone with your heart and soul, but they could feel little more than physical attraction toward you. I didn't want to risk that. Just because you feel it doesn't mean it's there, you know? I was afraid."

Will pressed tender kisses to his face. He murmured, "I feel it. I know you feel it, too. It's there. Don't be afraid of us, Nico. We're good. We're _good_."

Nico lifted up his head so that he could reconnect his mouth and Will's. When he pulled away, Nico looked at him with pure affection and hope in his eyes. "Will Solace, I love you." The truth freed him. He felt more alive than he ever had in his life. Nico rolled the two of them over again, and this time he pressed gentle kisses along Will's cheeks and jaw.

Will brought their lips together. When they pulled away, Will said. "And I love you, Nico di Angelo."

The smile that broke out on Nico's face was the widest and happiest one he had ever worn.

Things weren't perfect. Will still struggled at home, but he had a strong support system in Nico and some of their friends. Nico's relationship with his family was still messy, but they were mending. Nico still had to be careful because of his arrhythmia, but he had the best soon-to-be doctor in the world to help him. For the meantime, Nico had Reyna and Hazel to consult when things were hard, and of course Will. And now, Nico had found out that he had someone whom he could depend on, he could trust, and he loved. And that person depended on him, trusted him, and loved him back.

And, for the first time since the death of Maria and Bianca di Angelo, Nico embraced his feelings. He finally let himself allow someone he cared about into his life. He loved Will so much that everything else faded into the background. He was happy about where his future was going.

And he wasn't afraid.

 **A/N: Thank you guys so much for staying with this through the end, especially with my slow updates for the last few chapters. You guys have all encouraged, motivated, and inspired me SO much, so thank you for making this possible. More stories will be posted soon. Thank you for reading!**


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